WEBVTT 00:00.000 --> 00:01.800 - Right, Elizabeth Evans. 00:01.800 --> 00:06.800 E-L-I-Z-A-B-E-T-H E-V-A-N-S. 00:09.705 --> 00:10.538 - [Interviewer] Good. 00:10.538 --> 00:11.371 Okay, and you're official title, 00:11.371 --> 00:15.700 and how you want to be identified for the third comes up 00:15.700 --> 00:20.700 - Sure, the Deputy Director Operations Chief. 00:20.912 --> 00:21.980 - [Interviewer] Okay. 00:21.980 --> 00:24.730 - So one of the Florida National Guard's functions, 00:24.730 --> 00:26.792 one of our large functions is our support 00:26.792 --> 00:28.610 to the state of Florida. 00:28.610 --> 00:33.100 So, the area that I work in is the Domestic Operations zone. 00:33.100 --> 00:36.080 The primary mission is to support 00:36.080 --> 00:39.210 during hurricane operations or other events 00:39.210 --> 00:40.083 similar to that. 00:41.020 --> 00:44.370 Specifically I've been in the Florida National Guard 00:44.370 --> 00:45.480 for 19 years. 00:45.480 --> 00:47.560 At this point I've been assigned 00:47.560 --> 00:51.120 to the domestic operations for the last two years. 00:51.120 --> 00:52.300 Yes it is. 00:52.300 --> 00:54.400 But that's one of the unique things 00:54.400 --> 00:55.730 about being a guardsman 00:55.730 --> 00:57.950 is that you wear the Army uniform, 00:57.950 --> 01:01.750 you serve in your capacity overseas when called, 01:01.750 --> 01:05.050 but most importantly to the citizens 01:05.050 --> 01:06.040 of the state of Florida 01:06.040 --> 01:08.210 and in support of our governor. 01:08.210 --> 01:10.540 You know as soon as a tropical storm 01:10.540 --> 01:13.730 or even a depression is noticed in the news, 01:13.730 --> 01:17.010 the Florida National Guard goes into preparation mode. 01:17.010 --> 01:19.970 In our support to the citizens of Florida, 01:19.970 --> 01:22.260 it's our duty to be prepared. 01:22.260 --> 01:25.000 And so we track the storm. 01:25.000 --> 01:26.590 We prepare for the storm. 01:26.590 --> 01:28.740 We make sure that our equipment is ready 01:28.740 --> 01:30.960 and our personnel come into the armories 01:30.960 --> 01:33.930 and we prepare to be there when the storm strikes. 01:33.930 --> 01:35.720 So that's exactly what our soldiers 01:35.720 --> 01:37.670 and our airmen are doing today. 01:37.670 --> 01:41.230 So that once you are activated and you head 01:41.230 --> 01:43.570 into your armory, your focus now 01:43.570 --> 01:45.913 is how to support the citizens. 01:47.100 --> 01:50.070 Absolutely, I think for myself personally 01:50.070 --> 01:53.850 and for the soldiers, one of the great things about the Army 01:53.850 --> 01:57.910 is we constantly practice preparation and checklists. 01:57.910 --> 02:00.210 And having a list and going through it 02:00.210 --> 02:02.650 and making sure that everything is ready to go 02:02.650 --> 02:04.020 before we go someplace. 02:04.020 --> 02:07.050 So that's one thing the Army has instilled in all of us 02:07.050 --> 02:08.250 is that preparedness. 02:08.250 --> 02:12.030 And it perfectly translates into hurricane season 02:12.030 --> 02:14.010 in making sure that we're personally prepared 02:14.010 --> 02:16.910 so that we're ready to support our citizens. 02:16.910 --> 02:18.430 You know right, ready, relevant. 02:18.430 --> 02:21.120 It's a great message and it's so true 02:21.120 --> 02:25.120 during hurricane season and outside of hurricane season. 02:25.120 --> 02:27.440 We want to make sure that we're in the right place, 02:27.440 --> 02:31.390 that we're serving our communities the best that we can. 02:31.390 --> 02:34.100 We want to make sure that we're ready, 02:34.100 --> 02:35.530 that we're prepared, that we have 02:35.530 --> 02:36.760 the right equipment. 02:36.760 --> 02:39.000 We're trained on the right systems. 02:39.000 --> 02:41.745 We stand there to support our citizens. 02:41.745 --> 02:44.800 Our relevance, we have the ability to stretch 02:44.800 --> 02:48.792 from Miami Dade County up through Nassau and all the way 02:48.792 --> 02:49.625 through the west coast. 02:49.625 --> 02:53.440 Being there for the counties, being able to explain 02:53.440 --> 02:56.593 what we can do to assist in support of others, 02:56.593 --> 02:59.803 that's really what it means to be a guardsman. 03:00.670 --> 03:03.560 Before a storm, it's our responsibility to make sure 03:03.560 --> 03:06.560 that we're prepared and we get to the locations 03:06.560 --> 03:09.120 we anticipate with the most need. 03:09.120 --> 03:11.252 So what we've done to this point 03:11.252 --> 03:14.745 is go through and make sure that all of our equipment's 03:14.745 --> 03:17.580 ready to go and our soldiers are making those movements 03:17.580 --> 03:20.630 to the coast to be there at that point of need 03:20.630 --> 03:22.563 when it arises and when asked. 03:24.660 --> 03:26.640 - All right. It's Colonel George Downs. 03:26.640 --> 03:31.473 G-E-O-R-G-E Downs D-O-W-N-S. 03:32.550 --> 03:36.056 So my official title is the Director of Operations 03:36.056 --> 03:37.823 for the Florida Air National Guard. 03:40.309 --> 03:44.000 In the Florida Air National Guard my role 03:44.000 --> 03:45.300 is the Director of Operations. 03:45.300 --> 03:48.160 When we have National Guard civil support events 03:48.160 --> 03:52.060 such as a hurricane or a natural disaster response, 03:52.060 --> 03:54.550 then I'm the senior Air Guard representative 03:54.550 --> 03:56.960 here in the Joint Operations Center. 03:56.960 --> 03:58.760 We will get asked for a request for support 03:58.760 --> 04:00.930 from state authorities 04:00.930 --> 04:03.720 that will then get channeled to the Florida National Guard. 04:03.720 --> 04:06.540 And then we will determine here whether that will be sourced 04:06.540 --> 04:08.370 from the Army side or the Air side 04:08.370 --> 04:09.820 of the Florida National Guard. 04:09.820 --> 04:12.100 If it comes to the air then I'm responsible 04:12.100 --> 04:14.820 for coordinating that with the follow on units 04:14.820 --> 04:17.120 to source that request and then to track 04:17.120 --> 04:19.340 the completion of that mission to ensure 04:19.340 --> 04:21.141 it gets accomplished. 04:21.141 --> 04:24.960 So the fact that the vast majority of our members 04:24.960 --> 04:27.850 live here within the state of Florida including myself 04:27.850 --> 04:30.690 it obviously is a huge point of pride 04:30.690 --> 04:32.270 when we can actually go out and help 04:32.270 --> 04:35.143 our fellow Floridian citizens. 04:36.538 --> 04:38.930 It's part of why we sign up and part of why 04:38.930 --> 04:41.450 we do what we do, we love to help out. 04:41.450 --> 04:43.730 However at the moment of need 04:43.730 --> 04:45.600 it's obviously a source of great pride 04:45.600 --> 04:47.750 to go out and help our fellow citizens 04:47.750 --> 04:49.330 when we know they're experiencing probably 04:49.330 --> 04:51.893 one of the darkest days or events of their life. 04:53.520 --> 04:56.260 So here at the JOC, the Joint Operations Center, 04:56.260 --> 05:00.210 it's kinda the hub of activity from a command perspective 05:00.210 --> 05:01.900 of Joint Taskforce Florida 05:01.900 --> 05:04.110 which is the organization that we stand up 05:04.110 --> 05:07.670 to support the state in times of need such as this. 05:07.670 --> 05:09.410 So we'll have representatives here 05:09.410 --> 05:12.280 from all of the units within the Florida National Guard 05:12.280 --> 05:14.810 to include the Army and the Air. 05:14.810 --> 05:18.360 We'll also have representatives from other organizations 05:18.360 --> 05:20.490 that might assist us such as our larger 05:20.490 --> 05:22.830 Department of Defense partners. 05:22.830 --> 05:25.399 The FAA has representatives here. 05:25.399 --> 05:26.810 We'll also coordinate with 05:26.810 --> 05:29.700 the state emergency operations center in Tallahassee 05:29.700 --> 05:32.330 where they have additional partners from all the counties 05:32.330 --> 05:33.880 and communications with them 05:33.880 --> 05:36.050 as well as other non-governmental organizations 05:36.050 --> 05:39.140 such as the American Red Cross or other aid societies 05:39.140 --> 05:40.963 to help in the disaster response. 05:42.380 --> 05:46.020 As the requests come here, we'll source those. 05:46.020 --> 05:48.670 And then that gets sent to the actual units 05:48.670 --> 05:51.650 that are out in the field to perform those tasks. 05:51.650 --> 05:53.960 And some of the tasks that we get sourced with 05:53.960 --> 05:56.623 or asked to perform certainly security, 05:57.590 --> 06:01.750 patrols and ensuring that the roads are clear and safe. 06:01.750 --> 06:04.040 Route clearance, especially after a hurricane is 06:04.040 --> 06:07.007 another primary task that we'll get tasked to do. 06:07.007 --> 06:10.220 So we'll have crews out with heavy equipment 06:10.220 --> 06:12.060 to go ahead and ensure that the roads are passable 06:12.060 --> 06:13.350 and to clear them if they're not 06:13.350 --> 06:15.040 and to also ensure that they're safe 06:15.040 --> 06:17.970 for not only military and first responder movement 06:17.970 --> 06:20.430 but also for citizens as they start to get back 06:20.430 --> 06:21.723 to normal in their lives. 06:22.880 --> 06:25.120 We man shelters if we need to do that. 06:25.120 --> 06:27.750 So obviously evacuation shelters are commonly seen 06:27.750 --> 06:30.050 when a hurricane is approaching so we'll provide 06:30.050 --> 06:31.113 assistance to that. 06:31.996 --> 06:34.000 And then after the disaster it's very common to see 06:34.000 --> 06:36.310 National Guard soldiers and airmen manning 06:36.310 --> 06:38.520 what we call PODS, point of distribution 06:38.520 --> 06:41.400 where they're handing out food, water, ice, 06:41.400 --> 06:43.140 supplies of that nature to help 06:43.140 --> 06:45.330 in the immediate aftermath after the storm 06:45.330 --> 06:48.610 until services can return to normal. 06:48.610 --> 06:50.500 A couple other things that we set up. 06:50.500 --> 06:53.700 We have a lot of communication assets here in Florida. 06:53.700 --> 06:55.700 And so we'll go out with those teams 06:55.700 --> 06:58.980 to county emergency operations centers to help 06:58.980 --> 07:03.000 restore their communications until the power's back on, 07:03.000 --> 07:05.170 until the regular communications provider. 07:05.170 --> 07:08.300 So if we need to set up a communications node, 07:08.300 --> 07:10.680 if you will, with a satellite so that they can 07:10.680 --> 07:12.930 restore those comms, ensure that they can then 07:12.930 --> 07:15.310 communicate with Tallahassee and other organizations 07:15.310 --> 07:17.330 to get them the support that they need 07:17.330 --> 07:18.740 to get back on their feet. 07:18.740 --> 07:21.080 That's another thing, another opportunity, 07:21.080 --> 07:23.960 for the Florida National Guard to support the state. 07:23.960 --> 07:25.020 So here in the Florida National Guard 07:25.020 --> 07:28.880 our motto is right, ready, and relevant. 07:28.880 --> 07:31.350 So the first thing we want to be is right. 07:31.350 --> 07:33.950 We want to be the right force at the right time 07:33.950 --> 07:35.830 at the right place. 07:35.830 --> 07:38.340 So at the moment of need we are prepared 07:38.340 --> 07:41.280 which segues into our ready posture. 07:41.280 --> 07:44.350 So all throughout the year we're training, 07:44.350 --> 07:46.770 we're practicing to be prepared 07:46.770 --> 07:48.700 for when that time comes. 07:48.700 --> 07:50.800 It could be to deploy overseas and support 07:50.800 --> 07:52.590 our federal partners. 07:52.590 --> 07:54.410 Or it could be here in the state of Florida 07:54.410 --> 07:57.150 in a natural disaster situation. 07:57.150 --> 07:58.380 And then relevant. 07:58.380 --> 08:01.300 We want to make sure that you put the right, and ready, 08:01.300 --> 08:05.640 and so to be relevant that we perform our tasks 08:05.640 --> 08:07.300 and our duties professionally 08:07.300 --> 08:08.997 so that we are helping the state of Florida 08:08.997 --> 08:10.350 and the citizens, 08:10.350 --> 08:12.660 that we're not projecting a negative image. 08:12.660 --> 08:15.630 Or creating a situation that's gonna be detrimental 08:15.630 --> 08:17.380 to their safety or to their help. 08:17.380 --> 08:20.834 So that's to me how I apply right, ready, and relevant 08:20.834 --> 08:22.463 for our situation. 08:24.580 --> 08:27.130 I just wanna say thanks to the families 08:27.130 --> 08:29.180 and thanks to everybody that supports us.