Conducting Effective Emergency Drills. Presented to SGA Emergency Management Conference March 31 April 2, 2009 New Orleans

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1 Conducting Effective Emergency Drills Presented to SGA Emergency Management Conference March 31 April 2, 2009 New Orleans

2 Why Test? A plan is only a stack of paper until tested Exercises can promote management support for crisis response efforts Drills display strengths/weaknesses; provide avenue for tweaking plan In some places: It s the law!!!

3 Two Primary Ways To Test Tabletop exercise Detailed mock emergency

4 Tabletop Exercise Definition: A planned activity to test emergency response that stays in the room.

5 Tabletop Exercise Goals: Reinforce key personnel responsibilities Review the organization s overall response procedures Emphasize the content of the emergency response plan Prompt/force discussion between various groups

6 Tabletop Ground Rules: Personnel with key responsibilities will plan, participate Entire local organization will be involved Stays in the room for discussion purposes Review should discuss positives, negatives and provide recommendations

7 Mock Emergency Exercise Definition: A surprise exercise of emergency response procedures including physical response actions; accumulation of emergency response equipment and verification of necessary notifications.

8 Mock Emergency Goals: Reinforce key personnel responsibilities Test communication between groups Ensure compatibility between response and response plans Simulate necessary coordination with outside organizations Test how company will be viewed by public

9 Planning The Exercise: Key Steps Establish a planning committee to oversee, manage & maintain security Determine what you are testing & why Establish which groups/functions will be included in drill Develop evaluation objectives & standards Consider how far to take the exercise Will drill test response or simply understanding of the plan?

10 A Model Planning Outline This handout offers a step-by-step process for planning & evaluation effective Mock Emergency Exercises

11 Mock Emergency Ground Rules All safety measures observed Participants will be informed at start that exercise is a mock drill Local emergency responders notified in advance All communications will stress that exercise is a mock drill Consider notifying local media -- they monitor scanners!

12 Mock Emergency Ground Rules (cont.) Perform response actions to the point of equipment shutoff Mobilize response equipment to test readiness Verify phone numbers by making calls Confirm materials in manual are current & accurate

13 Mock Emergency Ground Rules (cont.) Sample ground rules are located in workbook

14 Prepare For Real Inquiries Have contingency plans in case the company gets inquiries from the public or news media Have contacts ready to respond & communicate should the company get such inquiries A sample statement Notice of Emergency Response Exercise is displayed in the workbook

15 Scripting The Exercise Working with planning committee, develop not only a trigger for the exercise but also a variety of prompts that control direction of the exercise Don t just test internal elements be sure to incorporate external, public exposures This can be done through developing caller scripts that simulate inquiries from customers, residents, other businesses, news media, etc.

16 Scripting The Exercise (cont.) Several sample caller script are in the workbook Notice that the scripts not only prompt the personality & tenor of simulated caller, but provides a form for the caller to evaluate how the call was handled In scripting such calls, the committee should look at the incident from the outside in

17 Monitoring The Exercise Develop a team of monitors familiar with established procedures relative to the location they are monitoring Instruct monitors specifically as to what they are monitoring, information & steps to document, etc.

18 Evaluating The Exercise Setup a short de-brief immediately following the exercise Establish a deadline for monitors to get written reports & synopses to committee Committee should prepare a written critique within 3-4 weeks following the drill Critique should not focus solely on good and bad points but should provide specific recommendations for improvement Committee should ideally develop a work plan based on critique

19 An Idea: Videotaping The Exercise Consider videotaping the exercise It provides a chronicle of the drill that can be used as the foundation for the critique & as a training tool It enhances the realism & tension in the exercise; helps ensure that participants take the exercise seriously Monitors at each location can handle the taping Serves as a good reference point of key activities for monitors, assisting them in preparing observations

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