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.
eveal any wea!nesses that may be in your plan and identify any resource gaps that
may be present.
Exercises improve individual performance, organi"ational communication, and
coordination.
Train personnel and clarify roles and responsibilities.
#atisfy regulatory re$uirements.
%n effective exercise program is made up of progressively complex exercises, each one building
on the previous, until the exercises are as close to reality as possible. The exercise program should
involve a wide range of organi"ations to include fire, law enforcement, emergency management,
and when necessary other agencies such as local public health, public safety, ed Cross and others
as identified. Exercises should be carefully planned to achieve one or more identified goals.
Five Levels of Exercise
There are five different levels of exercise. &t is important to execute each level in successive
order, ma!ing certain you master each level before moving on to the next. The five levels are as
follows:
Orientation Seminar:
This is a low'stress, informal discussion in a group setting with little or no simulation. The
orientation seminar is used to provide information and introduce people to the policies, plans and
procedures in the organi"ation(s Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan.
Drill:
This is the exercise most organi"ations are familiar with. The drill is a coordinated, supervised
exercise used to test a single specific operation or function. &t involves deployment of e$uipment
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 )unctional Exercise is a fully simulated interactive exercise that tests the capability of an
organi"ation to respond to a simulated event. This exercise focuses on the coordination of multiple
functions or organi"ations and ta!es place in an Emergency *perations Center. The )unctional
Exercise strives for realism, short of actual deployment of e$uipment and personnel.
Full-Scale Exercise:
The )ull #cale Exercise is a simulated emergency event, as close to reality as possible. &t involves
all emergency response functions and re$uires full deployment of e$uipment and personnel.
Typically, in a business setting this exercise should include fire, law enforcement, emergency
management and other agencies and organi"ations as identified in the scenario.
Building our !rogram
+uilding your program is a multi'organi"ational effort that includes:
Cost of the program.
%nalysis of what you are capable of doing.
#etting realistic goals for the organi"ation.
,evelopment of a short term and a long term plan.
#cheduling the tas! involved.
,eveloping a series of messages to !eep staff involved informed and up'to'date as
your program moves through the various phases.
T"e Exercise !rocess
The process of creating and staging an exercise for your organi"ation will include a lengthy
se$uence of tas!s that will occur in three phases:
+efore the exercise
,uring the exercise
%fter the exercise
#ome of the tas!s are part of the design effort and some are part of the evaluation.
#a$or Tas% &ccomplis"ments
'( Establis" t"e Base
,uring this phase you will lay the groundwor! for your exercise. To accomplish this tas! you will
do the following:
eview your current plan.
%ssess your capability to conduct an exercise.
%ssess the cost and liabilities associated with conducting the exercise.
-ain support from students, staff and parents for the exercise program.
&dentify a design team.
)( Exercise Development
Exercise documents that must be developed include:
Exercise Plan
Control Plan
Evaluation Plan
Player .andboo!
These documents are basically handboo!s for particular audiences. Much of the content of these
documents will come from the eight exercise design steps that follow.
*( Exercise Design Steps
%ssess needs.
,efine scope.
/rite a statement of purpose.
,efine the ob0ectives of the exercise.
Compose a narrative for the exercise.
/rite ma0or and detailed events.
1ist expected actions.
Prepare exercise messages.
#aster Scenario Events List +#SEL,
*utputs from the design process are pulled together in the M#E1, a chart that the controller and
simulators can use in !eeping the exercise on trac! and on schedule.
T-pes of Exercises
Tabletop Exercise
The tabletop exercise is essentially a group brainstorming session centered on a scenario narrative
and problem statements or messages that are presented to members of the group. The format is
informal, and the exercise is self'evaluated by the participants.
Facilitating a Tabletop Exercise:
The facilitator is responsible for:
#etting the stage.
,istributing messages.
#timulating discussion and pushing participants toward in'depth problem solving.
&nvolving everyone.
Controlling and sustaining the action.
Design of t"e Tabletop:
&n applying the eight design steps, the first four steps 2needs assessment, scope, purpose statement,
ob0ectives3 are handled in the normal manner. The remaining steps can be simplified:
The narrative can be relatively short.
*nly a few ma0or or detailed events are re$uired, and they are turned into problem
statements.
Expected actions must be identified, but they may involve such things as discussion or
reaching consensus.
*nly a few 245'463 carefully written messages or problem statements are needed.
Functional Exercise
The functional exercise usually ta!es place in the E*C or operating center and involves policy
ma!ers and decision ma!ers. &t uses an event scenario to test multiple functions or organi"ations,
emphasi"ing coordination and communication. Participants include:
.ontroller 2the manager of the exercise3.
!la-ers 2people responding to the scenario within their normal roles3.
Simulators 2people playing the parts of organi"ations and field units outside of the
operations center, who deliver messages to players3.
Evaluators 2observers who record actions ta!en in response to messages3.
Participants respond in real time, adding an element of stress to the exercise. Communications
e$uipment, displays, and other enhancements can be used to add to the realism.
Design of t"e Functional Exercise:
The full eight'step process is used to develop functional exercises.
T-pes of Exercises (Continued)
Full-Scale Exercise
The full'scale exercise combines the interactivity of the functional exercise with a field element
and re$uires the coordination of the efforts of several organi"ations. &t differs from a drill in that a
drill focuses on a single operation and exercises only one organi"ation. The full scale exercise
achieves realism through:
*n'scene actions and decisions, and simulated victims.
#earch and rescue re$uirements.
Communication devices and e$uipment deployment.
%ctual resource and personnel allocation.
!articipant /oles
%ll levels of personnel are involved, including policy ma!ers, coordination and operations
personnel, and field personnel. % controller manages the exercise7 volunteers simulate victims7
evaluators observe and !eep a log of significant events7 and a safety office ensures that potential
safety issues are addressed.
Design of t"e Full-Scale Exercise:
%fter 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.
Ma0or and minor events are often presented visually and must be carefully planned.
Expected actions must, as always, be specifically identified.
+oth 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 ade$uate space and be as realistic as possible without
interfering with normal traffic or safety.
Scene #anagement
#cene Management involves planning and handling:
1ogistics at the scene.
Creation of a believable emergency scene.
8umber of victims.
Management of props and materials.
8umber of controllers.
Ot"er Special .onsiderations:
Managing personnel and resources 2many volunteers, lots of people3.
Ensuring the emergency management system maintains response capability for routine
events.
%voiding safety issues.
%ttending to issues of legal liability.
.aving a plan for emergency call'off.
/or!ing with the media.
Exercise Evaluation
)or an exercise to be useful, it must be accompanied by an evaluation 9 less formal for the
Tabletop, structured for the )unctional and )ull #cale. -ood evaluations can help the organi"ation
identify:
/hether the exercise has achieved its ob0ectives.
8eeded improvements in plans, procedures, or guidelines or the emergency management
system as a whole.
Training and staffing deficiencies.
E$uipment needs.
8eed for additional exercising.
The evaluation team leader is responsible for evaluation methodology, selection and training of the
evaluation team, and report preparation.
#et"odolog-
The evaluation methodology includes:
Evaluation team structure.
*b0ectives to be measured.
Evaluation pac!et 2observation procedures and recording forms3.
!ost-Exercise #eetings
Post'exercise meetings include the player debriefing and meetings of the evaluation team to
analy"e the results and develop the after action report.
&fter &ction /eport
The %fter %ction eport should describe the purpose of the exercise and address goals, ob0ectives,
pre'exercise activities, participants, scenario, accomplishments and shortfalls, and
recommendations.
Exercise En"ancements
Exercise enhancements are used to add to the realism of the exercise. ,epending on the type of
exercise and available resources, enhancements may include:
Communication E$uipment.
:isuals.
*ther E$uipment and Materials.
People and Props.
esources.
Materials consistent with and ta!en from )EM% &#'4;< Exercise and ,esign.