How can you ensure your emergency management exercises work for everyone?

1 Know your objectives

Before you start planning your exercise, you need to define what you want to achieve, how you will measure it, and who will participate. Your objectives should be SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. They should also align with your emergency management plans, policies, and standards. For example, you may want to test your communication protocols, assess your resource availability, or improve your coordination with other agencies.

2 Choose your format

Depending on your objectives, you can choose from different types of emergency management exercises, such as tabletop, drill, functional, or full-scale. Each format has its own advantages and disadvantages, so you need to consider the level of realism, complexity, and resources required. For example, a tabletop exercise is a low-cost and low-risk option that involves a discussion of a simulated scenario, while a full-scale exercise is a high-cost and high-risk option that involves a live deployment of personnel and equipment.

3 Involve your stakeholders

To ensure that your exercise works for everyone, you need to involve your stakeholders from the beginning. Your stakeholders are the people who have an interest or a role in your emergency management, such as your staff, partners, clients, or community members. You need to communicate with them clearly and regularly, solicit their feedback and input, and address their concerns and expectations. You also need to ensure that your exercise is accessible, diverse, and respectful of their needs and perspectives.

4 Prepare your scenario

Your scenario is the hypothetical situation that you will use to simulate an emergency in your exercise. Your scenario should be realistic, credible, and challenging, but not overwhelming or unrealistic. You should base your scenario on your risk assessment, historical data, and best practices. You should also consider the potential impacts, consequences, and complications of your scenario, and plan accordingly. For example, you may need to prepare maps, timelines, injects, or props to enhance your scenario.

5 Conduct your exercise

When you conduct your exercise, you need to follow your plan and procedures, but also be flexible and adaptable to any changes or issues that may arise. You need to ensure that your exercise is safe, secure, and ethical, and that you respect the rights and privacy of your participants and observers. You also need to monitor and document your exercise, using tools such as checklists, forms, or cameras. You should also assign roles and responsibilities to your exercise staff, such as controllers, facilitators, evaluators, or simulators.

6 Evaluate your exercise

After you conduct your exercise, you need to evaluate your performance, outcomes, and lessons learned. You need to collect and analyze data from your exercise, using methods such as surveys, interviews, or observations. You need to compare your results with your objectives, identify your strengths and weaknesses, and recommend actions for improvement. You should also solicit feedback and suggestions from your participants and stakeholders, and acknowledge their contributions and achievements.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?