RELIABILITY • AFFORDABILITY • ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP
Ready, Set, Action:
Staging a Mock Utility Disaster
Steve Langley
Director Risk, Safety, and
Technical Training
October 18 & 19, 2011
RELIABILITY • AFFORDABILITY • ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP
FEMA Training
http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/IS120A.asp
http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/IS130.asp
http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/is139.asp
RELIABILITY • AFFORDABILITY • ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP
Why conduct Exercises
•Provides a way to evaluate operations and plans.
•Reinforces teamwork.
•Demonstrates to the public your resolve to prepare
for disastrous and catastrophic events.
RELIABILITY • AFFORDABILITY • ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP
"We did not anticipate that airliners would be
commandeered and turned into guided
missiles; but the fact that we practiced for
other kinds of disasters made us far more
prepared to handle a catastrophe that nobody
envisioned."
—Rudolph W. Giuliani, former
mayor of New York City
RELIABILITY • AFFORDABILITY • ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP
Type of exercises
Exercises may range widely in size,
scope, complexity, purpose, and
approach.
RELIABILITY • AFFORDABILITY • ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP
Tabletop Exercises
• Key personnel in an
informal group discussion
centered on a hypothetical
scenario
RELIABILITY • AFFORDABILITY • ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP
Tabletop Exercise Cycle
Plan
Evaluate
Design &
Develop
Conduct
RELIABILITY • AFFORDABILITY • ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP
Tabletop Exercise Cycle
Plan
Evaluate
Design &
Develop
Conduct
RELIABILITY • AFFORDABILITY • ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP
Plan the Exercise
• Assess exercise needs.
• Use an exercise planning group
to define exercise objectives.
• Determine whether to use
evaluators or whether the
players will determine
opportunities for improvement.
• Define the layout and timeline of
the exercise.
RELIABILITY • AFFORDABILITY • ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP
Example…
RELIABILITY • AFFORDABILITY • ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP
Tabletop Exercise Cycle
Plan
Evaluate
Design &
Develop
Conduct
RELIABILITY • AFFORDABILITY • ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP
Tabletop Exercise Cycle
Plan
Evaluate
Design &
Develop
Conduct
RELIABILITY • AFFORDABILITY • ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP
Logistics
Discussion-based exercises require attention to
logistical details, such as:
• Comfortable meeting and briefing rooms
• Audiovisual equipment
• Facilitation and note-taking supplies
• Table tents
RELIABILITY • AFFORDABILITY • ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP
Design and develop the Scenario
Scenarios are the story line and context that drive the
exercise
A scenario:
• Defines the type of threat or hazard
• Must be as realistic as possible.
• Must be challenging—but not so demanding that participants
become overwhelmed.
• Should involve all the participants
RELIABILITY • AFFORDABILITY • ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP
RELIABILITY • AFFORDABILITY • ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP
Tabletop Exercise Cycle
Plan
Evaluate
Design &
Develop
Conduct
RELIABILITY • AFFORDABILITY • ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP
Tabletop Exercise Cycle
Plan
Evaluate
Design &
Develop
Conduct
RELIABILITY • AFFORDABILITY • ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP
Exercise Personnel
–
–
–
–
–
–
Presenters - Deliver the exercise presentation.
Facilitators/Moderators - Lead group discussion.
Controllers - provide players with information.
Evaluators - Observe and collect exercise data.
Players - Discuss issues based on professional knowledge.
Observers/VIPs - View but do not participate in exercise.
• The positions of presenters, facilitators/moderators, and
controllers may be combined depending on the size and scope of
the exercise.
RELIABILITY • AFFORDABILITY • ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP
Conduct the Exercise
Setup
•Tables grouped to facilitate discussion
•Includes registration, refreshments, identification tags.
•Requires audio/visual equipment and participant tables.
Guided Presentation
•A central tool for facilitating/moderating discussion.
•Usually involves multimedia (with video, sound, and graphics).
•Often used to present scenario narratives
Facilitated/Moderated Discussion
•Guided discussion aimed at meeting
exercise objectives.
.
RELIABILITY • AFFORDABILITY • ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP
Guided Presentation
RELIABILITY • AFFORDABILITY • ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP
RELIABILITY • AFFORDABILITY • ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP
RELIABILITY • AFFORDABILITY • ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP
Tabletop Exercise Cycle
Plan
Evaluate
Design &
Develop
Conduct
RELIABILITY • AFFORDABILITY • ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP
Tabletop Exercise Cycle
Plan
Evaluate
Design &
Develop
Conduct
RELIABILITY • AFFORDABILITY • ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP
Evaluation Activities
• Distributing participant feedback forms.
• Conduct participant feedback sessions immediately
following an exercise. They give players a chance to
voice concerns and offer potential improvements
while the experience is still fresh.
• May choose to hold a debriefing for the planners,
facilitators, controllers, and evaluators to review and
provide feedback on the exercise.
RELIABILITY • AFFORDABILITY • ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP
Tabletop Exercise Cycle
Plan
Evaluate
Design &
Develop
Conduct