Exercises and Drills

Exercises and Drills

Introduction Exercises are conducted to evaluate their capability to execute one or more portions of a Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan. The following are reasons to conduct exercises on a regular basis: · Test and evaluate your plan, policies, and procedures. · Reveal any weaknesses that may be in your plan and identify any resource gaps that may be present. · Exercises improve individual performance, organizational communication, and coordination. · Train personnel and clarify roles and responsibilities. · Satisfy regulatory requirements. An effective exercise program is made up of progressively complex exercises, each one building on the previous, until the exercises are as close to reality as possible. The exercise program should involve a wide range of organizations to include fire, law enforcement, emergency management, and when necessary other agencies such as local public health, public safety, Red Cross and others as identified. Exercises should be carefully planned to achieve one or more identified goals.

Five Levels of Exercise

There are five different levels of exercise. It is important to execute each level in successive order, making certain you master each level before moving on to the next. The five levels are as follows: Orientation Seminar: This is a low-stress, informal discussion in a group setting with little or no simulation. The orientation seminar is used to provide information and introduce people to the policies, plans and procedures in the organization’s Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan. Drill: This is the exercise most organizations are familiar with. The drill is a coordinated, supervised exercise used to test a single specific operation or function. It involves deployment of equipment and personnel. Tabletop Exercise: This is a facilitated group analysis of an emergency situation in an informal, stress-free environment. The Tabletop Exercise is designed for examination of operational plans, problem identification, and in-depth problem solving. Functional Exercise: The Functional Exercise is a fully simulated interactive exercise that tests the capability of an organization to respond to a simulated event. This exercise focuses on the coordination of multiple functions or organizations and takes place in an Emergency Operations Center. The Functional Exercise strives for realism, short of actual deployment of equipment and personnel. Full-Scale Exercise: The Full Scale Exercise is a simulated emergency event, as close to reality as possible. It involves all emergency response functions and requires full deployment of equipment and personnel. Typically, in a business setting this exercise should include fire, law enforcement, emergency management and other agencies and organizations as identified in the scenario.

Building Your Program

Building your program is a multi-organizational effort that includes: · Cost of the program. · Analysis of what you are capable of doing. · Setting realistic goals for the organization. · Development of a short term and a long term plan. · Scheduling the task involved. · Developing a series of messages to keep staff involved informed and up-to-date as your program moves through the various phases.

The Exercise Process

The process of creating and staging an exercise for your organization will include a lengthy sequence of tasks that will occur in three phases: · Before the exercise · During the exercise · After the exercise Some of the tasks are part of the design effort and some are part of the evaluation.

Major Task Accomplishments

1. Establish the Base During this phase you will lay the groundwork for your exercise. To accomplish this task you will do the following: Review your current plan. Assess your capability to conduct an exercise. Assess the cost and liabilities associated with conducting the exercise. Gain support from students, staff and parents for the exercise program. Identify a design team. 2. Exercise Development Exercise documents that must be developed include: Exercise Plan Control Plan Evaluation Plan Player Handbook These documents are basically handbooks for particular audiences. Much of the content of these documents will come from the eight exercise design steps that follow. 3. Exercise Design Steps Assess needs. Define scope. Write a statement of purpose. Define the objectives of the exercise. Compose a narrative for the exercise. Write major and detailed events. List expected actions. Prepare exercise messages. Master Scenario Events List (MSEL) Outputs from the design process are pulled together in the MSEL, a chart that the controller and simulators can use in keeping the exercise on track and on schedule.

Types of Exercises

Tabletop Exercise The tabletop exercise is essentially a group brainstorming session centered on a scenario narrative and problem statements or messages that are presented to members of the group. The format is informal, and the exercise is self-evaluated by the participants. Facilitating a Tabletop Exercise: The facilitator is responsible for: Setting the stage. Distributing messages. Stimulating discussion and pushing participants toward in-depth problem solving. Involving everyone. Controlling and sustaining the action. Design of the Tabletop: In applying the eight design steps, the first four steps (needs assessment, scope, purpose statement, objectives) are handled in the normal manner. The remaining steps can be simplified: The narrative can be relatively short. Only a few major or detailed events are required, and they are turned into problem statements. Expected actions must be identified, but they may involve such things as discussion or reaching consensus. Only a few (10-15) carefully written messages or problem statements are needed. Functional Exercise The functional exercise usually takes place in the EOC or operating center and involves policy makers and decision makers. It uses an event scenario to test multiple functions or organizations, emphasizing coordination and communication. Participants include: Controller (the manager of the exercise). Players (people responding to the scenario within their normal roles). Simulators (people playing the parts of organizations and field units outside of the operations center, who deliver messages to players). Evaluators (observers who record actions taken in response to messages). Participants respond in real time, adding an element of stress to the exercise. Communications equipment, displays, and other enhancements can be used to add to the realism. Design of the Functional Exercise: The full eight-step process is used to develop functional exercises.

Types of Exercises (Continued)

Full-Scale Exercise The full-scale exercise combines the interactivity of the functional exercise with a field element and requires the coordination of the efforts of several organizations. It differs from a drill in that a drill focuses on a single operation and exercises only one organization. The full scale exercise achieves realism through: On-scene actions and decisions, and simulated victims. Search and rescue requirements. Communication devices and equipment deployment. Actual resource and personnel allocation. Participant Roles All levels of personnel are involved, including policy makers, coordination and operations personnel, and field personnel. A controller manages the exercise; volunteers simulate victims; evaluators observe and keep a log of significant events; and a safety office ensures that potential safety issues are addressed. Design of the Full-Scale Exercise: After the first four design steps, the following special considerations apply to the design process: The narrative is largely a staged visual scene, so the written narrative can be minimal. The visual narrative must be planned in careful detail. Major and minor events are often presented visually and must be carefully planned. Expected actions must, as always, be specifically identified. Both visual and pre-scripted messages are used. In the Full-Scale Exercise, details are everything. Site Selection The site selected for the event must have adequate space and be as realistic as possible without interfering with normal traffic or safety. Scene Management Scene Management involves planning and handling: Logistics at the scene. Creation of a believable emergency scene. Number of victims. Management of props and materials. Number of controllers. Other Special Considerations: Managing personnel and resources (many volunteers, lots of people). Ensuring the emergency management system maintains response capability for routine events. Avoiding safety issues. Attending to issues of legal liability. Having a plan for emergency call-off. Working with the media.

Exercise Evaluation

For an exercise to be useful, it must be accompanied by an evaluation – less formal for the Tabletop, structured for the Functional and Full Scale. Good evaluations can help the organization identify: Whether the exercise has achieved its objectives. Needed improvements in plans, procedures, or guidelines or the emergency management system as a whole. Training and staffing deficiencies. Equipment needs. Need for additional exercising. The evaluation team leader is responsible for evaluation methodology, selection and training of the evaluation team, and report preparation. Methodology The evaluation methodology includes: Evaluation team structure. Objectives to be measured. Evaluation packet (observation procedures and recording forms). Post-Exercise Meetings Post-exercise meetings include the player debriefing and meetings of the evaluation team to analyze the results and develop the after action report. After Action Report The After Action Report should describe the purpose of the exercise and address goals, objectives, pre-exercise activities, participants, scenario, accomplishments and shortfalls, and recommendations. Exercise Enhancements Exercise enhancements are used to add to the realism of the exercise. Depending on the type of exercise and available resources, enhancements may include: Communication Equipment. Visuals. Other Equipment and Materials. People and Props. Resources. Materials consistent with and taken from FEMA IS-139 Exercise and Design.