FEMA IS139 Exercise Design

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FEMA IS-139Exercise Design

• SC AHEC
• Disaster Preparation Response Training
• Core Group
• December 16, 2005

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Objectives

• Discuss five good reasons to exercise.
• Name five types of exercises.
• What are the five major tasks in the exercise
  process.
• Describe the eight steps of exercise design.
• Describe the five issues addressed by an exercise
  evaluation.

3
Pre-Test

• Which of these are good reasons to exercise?
• A. Satisfy regulatory requirements
• B. Evaluate capability to execute a plan
• C. Provide individual training
• D. Lose weight and improve cardiovascular
  fitness.
• E. All of the above.

4
Pre-Test

• Which of these is NOT one of the five types of
  exercises?
• Orientation seminar
• Commencement
• Functional
• Drill
• Organizational

5
Pre-Test

• Which of these is NOT a major task to be
  accomplished in the exercise process?
• A. Establish the base.
• B. Solidify your position.
• C. Exercise conduct.
• D. Secure future revenue stream.
• E. Undermine competing agency.

6
Pre-Test

• Which of these steps of exercise design is in
  correct order?
• List expected actions, design scope, prepare
  messages.
• Write statement of purpose, compose narrative,
  list expected actions.
• List expected actions, assess needs, prepare
  messages.
• Compose narrative, write major events, define
  scope.

7
Pre-Test

• 5. Which is NOT an issue addressed by an exercise
  evaluation?
• A. Has exercise achieved its objective?
• B. Do plans need modification?
• C. Are there training or manpower
  deficiencies?
• D. Are there equipment deficiencies?
• E. Which agency screwed up the worst?

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• This is a thirty minute summary
• of a ten hour course for professional emergency
  managers,
• condensed with our needs in mind.

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Outline

• Reasons to Exercise
• Types of Exercises
• Orientation Seminar
• Drill
• Tabletop Exercise
• Functional Exercise
• Full-Scale Exercise
• Exercise Process
• Establishing the Base
• Exercise Development
• Exercise Conduct
• Exercise Critique and Evaluation
• Exercise Follow-up
• Exercise Documents
• Exercise Plan
• Control Plan
• Evaluation Plan
• Player Handbook
• Design Steps

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Reasons to Exercise

• Evaluate an organizations capability to execute
  one or more portions of its response plan.
• Provide individual training.
• Improve the emergency management system.

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Reasons to Exercise

• Test and evaluate plans, policies, and
  procedures.
• Reveal plan weaknesses and resource gaps.
• Improve individual performance

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Reasons to Exercise

• Improve organizational coordination and
  communications.
• Train personnel and clarify roles and
  responsibilities.

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Reasons to Exercise

• Gain program recognition.
• Satisfy regulatory requirements.
• Satisfy requirements of HRSA grant.

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Comprehensive Exercise Program

• Made up of progressively complex exercises, each
  one building on the previous one, until the
  exercises are as close to reality as possible.
• Carefully planned to achieve identified goals
• Should involve a wide range of organizations in
  its planning and execution.

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Types of Exercises

• Orientation seminar
• Drill
• Tabletop exercise
• Functional exercise
• Full-scale exercise

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Orientation Seminar

• Low-stress, informal discussion in a group
  setting with little or no simulation.
• Used to provide information and introduce people
  to policies, plans, and procedures.

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Drill

• Coordinated, supervised exercise used to test a
  single specific operation or function.
• It involves deployment of equipment and
  personnel.

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Tabletop Exercise

• Facilitated group analysis of an emergency
  situation in an informal, stress-free environment
• For examination of operational plans, problem
  identification, and in-depth problem solving.

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Functional Exercise

• Takes place in the EOC
• Fully simulated interactive exercise that tests
  the capability of an organization to respond to a
  simulated event.
• Focuses on coordination of multiple functions or
  organizations.
• Strives for realism, short of actual deployment
  of equipment and personnel.

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Full-scale Exercise

• Simulated emergency event, as close to reality as
  possible.
• Involves all emergency response functions
• Requires full deployment of equipment and
  personnel.

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Building an Exercise Program

• A multiorganization team effort that includes
• Analysis of capabilities and costs.
• Goal setting.
• Development of a long-term plan.
• Scheduling of tasks.
• Public relations efforts.

22
The Exercise Process

• Creating and staging an exercise includes a
  lengthy sequence of tasks
• Occur in three phases Before, during, and after
  the exercise.
• Fall under the heading of design and evaluation.

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Major Task Accomplishments

• A simple way of viewing the exercise process is
  the sequence of five major task accomplishments
• Establishing the base
• Exercise development
• Exercise conduct
• Exercise critique and evaluation
• Exercise follow-up

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Establishing the Base

• Process of laying the groundwork for the
  exercise.
• Review the current plan.
• Assess capability to conduct an exercise.
• Address costs and liabilities.
• Gain support.
• Assemble and organizing a design team.

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Exercise Documents

• Four major documents are developed during the
  exercise design process
• Exercise Plan
• Control Plan
• Evaluation Plan
• Player Handbook
• Basically handbooks for particular audiences.
• Much of the content of these documents comes from
  eight exercise design steps.

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Exercise Design Steps

• Assess needs.
• Define scope.
• Write a statement of purpose.
• Define objectives.
• Compose a narrative.
• Write major and detailed events.
• List expected actions.
• Prepare messages.

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Master Scenario Events List

• Outputs from the design process are pulled
  together in the MSEL
• Chart that the controller and simulators can use
  in keeping the exercise on track and on schedule.

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Tabletop Exercise

• Exercise Format
• Group brainstorming session
• Centered on a scenario narrative and problem
  statements or messages that are presented to
  members of the group.
• Informal
• Self-evaluated by the participants.

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Tabletop Exercise

• Designing a Tabletop
• Needs assessment, scope, purpose statement,
  objectives are handled in the normal manner.
• The narrative can be relatively short.
• Only a few major or detailed events are required,
  and they are turned into problem statements.

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• Expected actions must be identified, but they may
  involve such things as discussion or reaching
  consensus.
• Only a few (e.g., 1015) carefully written
  messages or problem statements are needed.

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Tabletop Exercise

• Facilitating a Tabletop
• The facilitator is responsible for
• Setting the stage.
• Distributing messages.
• Stimulating discussion
• Pushing participants toward in-depth problem
  solving.
• Involving everyone.
• Controlling and sustaining the action.

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The Functional Exercise

• Exercise Format
• Takes place in the operating center
• Involves policy makers and decision makers.
• Uses an event scenario to test multiple functions
  or organizations, emphasizing coordination and
  communication.

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• Participants
• 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).
• 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.

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The Functional Exercise

• Designing a Functional Exercise
• The full eight-step process is used to develop
  functional exercises.

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The Functional Exercise

• Controlling a Functional Exercise
• Controller is responsible for
• Monitoring interaction and progress.
• Keeping the exercise on track.
• Dealing with the unexpected.
• Adjusting the pace as needed. Flow of messages
  can be adjusted by adding, deleting,
  misdirecting, or reassigning messages.

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Full-Scale Exercise

• Exercise Format
• Combines the interactivity of the functional
  exercise with a field element
• Requires the coordination of the efforts of
  several organizations.
• Differs from a drill in that a drill focuses on a
  single operation and exercises only one
  organization.
• Achieves realism through
• On-scene actions and decisions.
• Simulated victims.
• Search and rescue requirements.
• Communication devices.
• Equipment deployment.
• Actual resource and personnel allocation.

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Full-Scale Exercise

• Participant Roles
• All levels of personnel are involved
• Policy makers
• Coordination and operations personnel
• Field personnel
• Controller manages the exercise
• Volunteers simulate victims
• Evaluators observe and keep a log of significant
  events
• Safety officer addresses potential safety issues

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Full-Scale Exercise

• Designing a Full-Scale Exercise
• First four design steps are complete as usual
• 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 a full-scale exercise, details are
  everything.

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Full-Scale Exercise

• Site Selection
• Must have adequate space
• Be as realistic as possible without interfering
  with normal traffic or safety.

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Full-Scale Exercise

• 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.

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Full-Scale Exercise

• Special Considerations
• Manage personnel and resources (many volunteers,
  lots of props).
• Maintain response capability for routine events.
• Address safety issues.
• Address legal liability.
• Plan for emergency call-off.
• Work with the media.

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Exercise Evaluation

• For an exercise to be useful, it must be
  accompanied by an evaluation.
• Less formal for the tabletop
• Structured for the function and full-scale.
• Good evaluations can help the organization
  identify
• Whether the exercise has achieved its objectives.
• Needed improvements in plans, procedures, or
  guidelines of the emergency management system as
  a whole.
• Training and staffing deficiencies.
• Equipment needs.
• Need for additional exercising.
• The evaluation team leader (usually drawn from
  the design team) is responsible for
• evaluation methodology,
• selection and training of the evaluation team,
  and
• report preparation.

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Exercise Evaluation

• Methodology
• The evaluation methodology includes
• Evaluation team structure
• Objectives to be measured
• Evaluation packet
• Observation procedures
• Recording forms

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Exercise Evaluation

• Post Exercise Meetings
• Player debriefing
• Evaluation team
• Analyzes the results
• Develops the after-action report.

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Exercise Evaluation

• After Action Report
• Purpose of the exercise
• Goals
• Objectives
• Pre-exercise activities
• Participants
• Scenario
• Accomplishments and shortfalls
• Recommendations

46
Exercise Enhancements

• Used to add to the realism of the exercise.
• Equipment
• Visuals
• Other Equipment and Materials
• People and Props
• Resources

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Post-Test

• Which of these are good reasons to exercise
• A. Satisfy regulatory requirements
• B. Evaluate capability to execute a plan
• C. Provide individual training
• D. Lose weight and improve cardiovascular
  fitness.
• E. All of the above.

48
Post-Test

• Which of these is NOT one of the five types of
  exercises?
• Orientation seminar
• Commencement
• Functional
• Drill
• Organizational

49
Post-Test

• Which of these is NOT a major task to be
  accomplished in the exercise process?
• A. Establish the base.
• B. Solidify your position.
• C. Exercise conduct.
• D. Secure future revenue stream.
• E. Undermine competing agency.

50
Post-Test

• 5. Which is NOT an issue addressed by an exercise
  evaluation?
• A. Has exercise achieved its objective?
• B. Do plans need modification?
• C. Are there training or manpower
  deficiencies?
• D. Are there equipment deficiencies?
• E. Which agency screwed up the worst?

51
Post-Test

• Which of these steps of exercise design is in
  correct order?
• List expected actions, design scope, prepare
  messages.
• Write statement of purpose, compose narrative,
  list expected actions.
• List expected actions, assess needs, prepare
  messages.
• Compose narrative, write major events, define
  scope.

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• QUESTIONS?