Conducting a Chemical Agent Exercise

1
Conducting a Chemical Agent Exercise
2
Exercise Objectives

• Test the ability of departments to evacuate
  quickly in an emergency
• Test the ability of the Crisis Management Team
  (CMT) to formulate a plan and communicate when
  they cannot relocate to any specific physical
  space while relying on limited communication
  equipment/ channels
• Determine the impact on operations if staff were
  physically isolated, had only minimal
  communication channels (at best) and are unable
  implement normal contingency plans for several
  hours.

3
General Exercise Scenario

• An unknown chemical agent released in the
  facility
• Symptoms appeared hours later prompting an
  emergency evacuation
• Fire Department Hazmat unit responds to begin
  triage and decontamination process
• CMT and Business Units to begin implementing
  their response plans

4
Exercise Challenges
Risk

• Lack of Realism
• No additional budget (i.e. no special effects
  smoke machines, actors, make-up, burning
  vehicles, etc.)

Mitigation

• Participants perform a surprise emergency
  evacuation
• Local Fire Department sets-up a decontamination
  area
• Participants go through sorting, triage
  decontamination per local Fire Department
  procedures

5
Exercise Challenges
Risk

• Impact to normal Operations

Mitigation

• Work with a few key individuals officers during
  design phase
• Mail Operations Vendor deliveries
• Facilities Contractors/ Tenant deliveries
• Notify carriers, vendors, contractors in advance
• Segregate exercise area from operations
• Modify security delivery procedures as needed

6
Exercise Challenges
Risk

• Minimize possible panic while maintaining the
  surprise

Mitigation

• Notify affected parties as close to the actual
  exercise as possible
• Staff Day of exercise after exercise begins
• Tenants 3 days prior via email/ phone
• Neighbors 3 days prior via email/ phone
• Public Exterior Lobby Signage
• Media Press release day before exterior
  signage

7
Exercise Challenges
Risk

• Not keeping other offices involved in the
  exercise

Mitigation

• Keep other sites informed via email
• Provide discussion questions
• Staff prompted to think of the effect this
  situation would have on their business area and
  how they would implement their BC plans

8
Exercise Challenges
Risk

• Exercise may overly stress some employees

Mitigation

• Excuse overly stressed participants from exercise
• ALS ambulance (Advanced Life Support) on-site
• Water bottles and energy bars available to
  participants
• Port-a-potties available
• Local fire department set-up benches for
  participants in the decontamination group
• Day of exercise signage and memo to explain
  exercise to non-participant staff

9
Exercise Challenges
Risk

• Severe weather (rain, wind, extreme heat/cold,
  etc.) may cancel exercise

Mitigation

• Monitored weather prior to exercise
• Set-up tent to protect participants from rain
• Developed a set of criteria to be used for
  determining whether or not to hold the exercise
• Established Go/ No go calls with local fire and
  police departments early on the day of the
  exercise
• Added instructions for proper dress in exercise
  communications as needed

10
Other Exercise Challenges

• Fire Department restricted the number of
  participants
• The Fire Department had never performed an
  exercise of this type before in the heart of
  downtown, during the middle of a workday
• Due to the large number of support entities and
  scheduling limitations, no back-up date could be
  scheduled.

11
External Support

• Leverage pre-established relationships with First
  Responders
• Fire Department Primary driver of the exercise
• Police Department Provides traffic control,
  additional security
• OEMC Office of Emergency Management
  Communication Sets up Unified Command Center,
  provides general exercise support, provides media
  support
• FBI Provides CBRNE/WMD expertise in exercise
  scenario participates in the Unified Command
  Center

12
Lessons Learned
Exercise Planning Implementation

• Good Project Management of the process is
  critical
• Senior Management Support is critical
• Leverage the expertise of local emergency
  responders in exercise design, media relations,
  etc.
• There is potential for some resistance from
  operations areas involved in the planning
• Be flexible stuff happens

13
Lessons Learned

• Once evacuated, CMT is not in control until all
  Life Safety issues have been addressed by the
  local emergency responders
• In an actual event, it may be hours before
  unaffected staff are released by local emergency
  responders
• A single point of contact for the organization is
  required for the local Unified Command Center
• The building may be uninhabitable for days, weeks
  and possibly longer after a CBRNE incident

14
Lessons Learned

• It may take several days for testing by the
  local/state governments Hazmat team to be
  completed
• If the event is terrorist related, the building
  may be considered a crime scene and the FBI will
  then be in charge after Life Safety issues have
  been addressed
• Having portable communication tools and contact
  information is important

15
Lessons Learned

• Processes for tracking employees will be
  challenging
• Staff will likely not go to their pre-arranged
  emergency evacuation points
• Staff will be organized by the local emergency
  responders
• Injured staff may be transported to a number of
  different hospitals

16
Thank you!