1. The planning, execution
and evaluation of field
exercises in civil protection
David Alexander
University College London
2. Exercise:
"an activity intended to further
preparations for emergency situations,
test operations, policies, plans,
procedures or equipment, or demonstrate
capacity to resond to a crisis."
(FEMA)
In an exercise one works as if one
were in a real situation, but in
response to a simulated event
(yet with realistic actions).
3. Types of exercise:-
• tabletop exercise: with the aid
of a hypothetical scenario
• command post exercise: to
test a single activity, usually
related to command and control
• test of
emergency procedures
• field exercise: the most
extensive and realistic.
4. Emergency procedures exercise:
• mass evacuation
• command procedures
• rescue actions, etc.
Commmand post exercise:
• 3-6 hours to test the system
of communication and command.
5. Some reasons for holding a field
exercise in emergency procedures (1):-
• to test and evaluate plans
and procedures
• to show the weak points
of emergency plans
• to train personnel in their
roles and responsibilities
• to highlight and reduce inadequacies
of personnel and equipment.
6. Some reasons for holding a field
exercise in emergency procedures (2):-
• to improve co-ordination and
communication among organisations
• to clarify the division of roles and
responsibilities among organisations
• to improve the performance of
personnel and organisations
• to acquire support for emergency
management on the part
of politicians and the public.
7. Some reasons for holding a field
exercise in emergency procedures (3):-
• to prepare participants
for a real emergency
• to identify education
and training needs
• to improve the quality of the messages
transmitted during an emergency
• to improve the utilisation of
volunteers in emergency operations.
8. Typically, a field exercise takes
6 months to two years to plan
and 8-48 hours to run.
It is carried out in real time and
involves the typical stresses of the job.
9. Start by assessing capabilities:-
• agency's ability to conduct exercise
• designer's ability to create exercise
• when and where was the last exercise?
• what experience available in organisation?
• how much time is available to prepare
the exercise? .
10. The "protagonists":-
• the general director of the exercise
• the steering committee of the exercise
• the chair of the steering committee
• the controller of the exercise
• the simulators
• the observers.
11. Start by assessing capabilities:-
• what personnel are available
to develop the exercise?
• what skills do they have?
• what physical facilities available
for conducting the exercise?
• what communications facilities available?
• what are the attitudes of chiefs
and directors to the whole idea? .
12. Costs are incurred at every stage of
developing and running an exercise:-
• staff salaries
• consultants' costs and contract services
• equipment and materials
• printing and dissemination of materials
• hire of facilities
• logistical support.
13. General Exercise steering
Director committee (and chair)
briefing Simulators briefing
Exercise Observer
briefing
players team
debriefing debriefing
Final report
14. Some strategies:-
• inform participants of a window of
time within in which the exercise
will take place but not the exact
timing until it happens
• base the exercise master document
on a real event from the past or a
credible future scenario for the area.
15. Putting the exercise into practice:-
Plan the field exercise -
the activities developed for the
exercise should test the emergency
plan: the objectives should refer
to a particular aspect of the plan
that needs to be tested.
16. Putting the exercise into practice:-
Carry out the field exercise -
the objectives guide the exercise:
all activities should be focussed
on realising the objectives.
17. Putting the exercise into practice:-
Evaluate the field exercise -
forms should be developed to help
evaluate each objective, and to
compare the results with the
emergency plan, which will constitute
the guidelines for evaluating the
progress of the exercise.
18. Planning the exercise:-
• estimate needs
• establish the scope of the exercise
• define the objectives
• write the narrative (the scenario)
of the exercise.
19. Planning the exercise:-
• define the principal events
and the expected actions
• write the emergency messages
• compile the master sequence
of events list (MSEL)
• allocate tasks to participating
personnel (simulators, observers,
etc.).
20. hypothetical historical Scenario
ingredients analysis
methodology
initial reference time in emergency
conditions event zero planning
consequences evaluation of
at time 1 the progress
evolution
of the scenario
consequences development
at time 2 of the
evolution scenario
consequences
at time n
formal evaluation of the
outcome of the scenario
21. The exercise controller:-
• has complete control of the exercise
• must ensure that the exercise is
faithful to the emergency plan and to
the programme compiled for the event
• can increase the number of messages
sent to participants in order to
increase the activity rate
• can slow down the exercise
if too many things happen.
22. The exercise controller:-
• must try to solve any
problems that occur
• stops the exercise when all
the objectives have been met
• an exercise with more than one
command centre will require
more than one controller.
23. The simulators:-
• send the emergency messages
• it is better that they have no direct
contact with other participants
• after the exercise, for information-
gathering purposes, they should be
given a full debriefing.
24. The main participants in the exercise:-
• should be given a full and
detailed briefing on what is
involved in the exercise
• need to know how the controller(s),
simulators and observers are identified.
25. Exercise safety must be ensured:-
• every participant should monitor safety
• appoint an exercise
safety officer or monitor
• any participant can stop the exercise
if a major safety issue arises
• safety concerns in the field and at
control centres need to be assessed.
26. The exercise evaluators need:-
• forms for evaluating the actions
that take place during the exercise
• training as observers
• a debriefing meeting with the
controller(s), simulators and observers
• to write a final report
The evaluation process is based on
description, deduction and judgement.
27. Possible causes of lack of objectivity:-
• distractions when tiredness causes the
observers to lose their concentration
• prejudices resulting from the personality
preconceptions of an observer
• when the participants react to
the presence of an observer
• when an observer judges
all actions to be adequate.
28. Possible causes of lack of objectivity:-
• when an observer judges all activities
to be neither particularly well done
nor particularly badly done
• when an observer immediately forms the
impression that things are going well
and this persists throughout his or her
period of observation
• when an observer believes he or she is
obliged to find something inadequate
• when an observer has a preconception
about how the exercise should go.
29. Evaluators need to avoid being:-
• too lenient
• fatigued and demotivated
• biased
• hypercritical
• affected by preconceptions.
30. The rules of exercise evaluation:-
• safety first and foremost
• actions, not people, are being evaluated
• do not interfere with course of exercise
unless there is a safety problem
• do not coach exercise participants
• be as objective as possible.
31. Forms of evaluation:-
• describe actions in relation to
the objectives of the exercise
• evaluate performance and infer quality
• document the activity
• collate data on observations
and judgements
• review and conclude.
32. Post-exercise debriefing of evaluators:-
• information shared and
perspectives compared
• suggestions made for improvements
• deficiencies noted
• training needs identified
• a general sense obtained
of how things went.
34. The ingredients of the final report:-
• an explanation of why
the exercise was held
• a summary of the activities
carried out during the exercise
• a summary of activities carried out
before the exercise (meetings, training)
• a list of participating organisations
• the aims and objectives of the exercise.
35. The ingredients of the final report:-
• problems observed during play and
recommendations for correcting them
• a description of the
things that went well
• identification of particular
training and educational needs
• other recommendations and comments
• any problems encountered
in the development and
activation of the exercise.
