Developing a distributed interactive exercise platform

Editor's Notes

• #6: What were the shortcomings?ResourcesAirfieldLogisticsWhy?Lack of ResourcesLack of TrainingLack of CoordinationLack of PreparednessAsk Yourself…What can we do better in the preparedness phase to improve responseDid we train and exercise as a collective group?Did we evaluate and validate our response plan(s)?What questions would you ask?
• #9: Webster's (1913) dictionary defines crisis as "the point of time when it is to be decided whether any affair or course of action must go on, or be modified or terminate; the decisive moment; the turning point." In some cases a crisis action plan is developed from one or more contingency plans. Crisis Action Plans are like OPLANs… written to a point where decisions need to be made.
• #10: Reasons for Conducting Exercises "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 Something performed or practiced in order to develop, improve, or display a specific power or skill. To practice in order to train, strengthen, or develop. -Merriam-Webster's Dictionary Exercises improve readiness by: • Providing a way to evaluate operations and plans. • Reinforcing teamwork. • Demonstrating a community's resolve to prepare for disastrous and catastrophic events.
• #11: There are a number of reasons to perform exercises:Test and evaluate plans, policies and procedures Reveal planning weaknesses Reveal gaps in resources (initially we do two STAFFEX)Improve inter-agency coordination & comm’sClarify roles and responsibilities Train personnel in roles and responsibilities Improve individual performance Gain public recognition and support of officials Satisfy mandatory government requirements Exercises are an effective tool to assess preparedness and to identify areas for improvement absent the consequences of an actual incident. By engaging in the full exercise process, from planning through evaluation, participants are also able to establish and strengthen relationships that result in improved awareness, policy development, and information sharing. We need to engage public and private sector partners in the planning process so that scenarios and objectives reflect the input and requirements of all involved.Through exercises, participants are able to validate policies, plans, procedures, processes, and capabilities that enable preparation, prevention, response, recovery, and continuity of operations (COOP). The controlled environment allows stakeholders to safely explore real-world situations, to improve communication and coordination, and to advance the efficacy of the broad based critical infrastructure protection partnership. The focus of an exercise should always be on locating and eliminating problems before an actual emergency occurs. Corrective actions are an important part of exercise design, evaluation and after action reports. In planning exercises, the emphasis is on the actions or operations required in emergency response or recovery rather than on the types of disasters, because preparedness is common to all emergencies. Exercise Programs are about preparedness, partnerships and leadership:Practice procedures to ensure the safety of all citizens Partnering with stakeholders to understand how we can work together The emergency management community working together to provide a clear message to the citizens on what actions need to be taken How the ID-T&EP Supports Validation of PlansThe Distributed & Interactive T&E platform (DI-T&EP) allows for every member, at every echelon of the disaster response organization(s) from lead political / policy maker, all the way to the call centers to participate during the exercise process.Because CSM’s are seamless to the T&E audience, Political / Policy makers, Resource coordinators, Staff members, Radio / telephone operators will actually respond from their actual duty locations. No other form of training & exercise platform provides this level of detail.
• #13: He made it a point after the FEMA training to talk to every city council member one on one. Others followed the same course, forging a network of personal ties that proved its worth. "The theme around the whole thing was knowing the people personally and having their cell phone numbers in each others' cell phones, those personal relationships were crucial.“Though professional friendships were clearly a factor, those on scene said that interpersonal connections, in another sense, played a key factor in the response effort. "People knew they had to take orders and report to somebody," said Rocco, who at the time was the assistant city coordinator brings together city departments on emergency management issues. "That sounds very simplistic, but it is very important during a large event like this." Rocco… The bridge effort succeeded because a chain of command was present and trained people were in command & control
• #15: Building Relationships through ExercisesExercises are an effective tool to assess preparedness and to identify areas for improvement absent the consequences of an actual incident. By engaging in the full exercise process, from planning through evaluation, participants are also able to establish and strengthen relationships that result in improved awareness, policy development, and information sharing. We need to engage public and private sector partners in the planning process so that scenarios and objectives reflect the input and requirements of all involved. Allows Political and Policy Makers, Emergency Management Leadership, Staff & Resource Coordinators to conduct training “in-depth” Combine live and notional exercise play; Increase Realism and Difficulty; Conduct 24 / 7… Allows real actions/re-actions of your Decision Makers, leaders, staff & resource managersReview current and future response plans … Ability to conduct immediate “Hot Wash” & Post Analysis (After Action Review)A great teaching and review tool; Re-play historical events… Allows for NEMO & Regional EOC’s to operate from their actual response locations System is Networked Services as an Evaluation & Validation Platform for Response PlansEvaluate Individuals and/or Departments to Develop Increased Response Capacity…
• #19: Exercise Development and the Planning Cycle Exercise planning should not exist in a vacuum, it should be integrated into an overall community preparedness approach. The following cycle is conducted annually: • Conduct Assessment/Re-assessment • Identify Vulnerabilities/Targets (Critical Infrastructure) • Align Missions with National Preparedness Goals • Identify Current Target Capabilities • Integrate Plans, Policies, Procedures, and Protocols • Conduct Training • Conduct Exercises • Evaluation of Exercises/Training • Track Improvement PlansThe Exercise Planning TeamThe Exercise planning team is responsible for successful execution of all aspects of an exercise, including exercise planning, conduct, and evaluation. The planning team determines exercise objectives; tailors the scenario to jurisdictional or agency needs; and develops documents used in exercise simulation, control, and evaluation. The exercise planning team also incorporates representatives from each major participating jurisdiction and agency, while keeping the planning team a manageable size.
• #27: Executing and evaluating a complex plan in today’s contemporary operating environment or coordinating the response to a catastrophic disaster. These are times when there is no room for error, and no substitute for providing people and organizations with the advanced tools they need to build the skills and experience necessary to succeed. Constructive simulation models (CSM) supported exercises offer a full range of training capabilities that prepare people for their most challenging missions. For wargaming, command and staff training, experimentation and exercises, course of analysis constructive simulations make it possible to train in highly realistic simulated environments for exercises that are impractical or too costly to conduct in live settings, such as hurricanes or large-scale joint exercises with distributed personnel. By integrating real-world data and operational tools, CSM support both simulation-driven and pre-scripted exercises, creating the most realistic experience possible. Constructive simulations are highly flexible, allowing exercises to be conducted simultaneously from multiple locations and at different operational levels in conjunction with live and virtual training. Automation that incorporates realistic and doctrinally correct behaviors reduces the number of personnel required to conduct exercises, while easy-to-use. Data-driven behaviors allow users to change equipment and behavior as doctrines or equipment evolves, without recompiling software. Rapid and accurate after-action evaluation aids analysis and ensures training goals are achieved. CSM’s were developed by the U.S. ARMY for maneuver commanders to train their battle staffs in combat and battlefield operating procedures to include medical, transportation and logistics support. CSM’s were designed to provide leaders a tool to train, exercise, and evaluate their staff in a realistic, high-fidelity and real-time simulation exercise.  The leaders and staff members conduct operations, coordinate resources and issue requests and on the ground information from their actual working locations.  The system was designed to be totally seamless (invisible) to the training audience. CSM’s are computer based training exercise support systems designed to simulate the disaster environment under a real time surroundings. PURPOSE: CPX driver to train political policy makers, leaders and staff’s in all areas of disaster response; planning, execution and decision making; team building; synchronization of organizations responding and coordinating resources for the disaster. Training Focus: Command & Control; Decision Making Process; Preparation of response orders; Exercise and Validate SOP’s and CONPLANS; Train EOC Operations Skills CSM’s are a two-sided, free-play simulation model played in a real time surroundings to create a stressful environment for the training audience.  Movement, conflict and disaster damage affect supply, ammunition and fuel levels for all organizations.  CSM’s are an excellent training tool to refine emergency response skills with practical experience on the simulated disaster environment and to evaluate the organizations Mission Essential Task List (METL).Key BenefitsTest and train SOP’s, procedures and techniquesRefine the decision-making process of the leadership and their staffImprove interaction and coordination among staff membersDevelop confidence between leaders, supervisors and their staffsExercise communications capabilities and proceduresExercises the response operating systems Exercise and validate SOPs, CONPLANS, etc Provide hard data to facilitate after action reviews (AARs)Provide a cost effective simulated training environment
• #29: In the mid 1980’s, combat maneuver commanders needed a combined system that would training the whole force.Fort Leavenworth, KS, home of the US Army National Simulation Center began thinking in terms of T&E of the whole force.Thus, the birth of Live, Constructive and Virtual was born.
• #35: Evaluate and Improve The evaluation and improvement of mission and task performance is the final step of the Preparedness Cycle and crucial to informing risk assessments, managing vulnerabilities, allocating resources, and informing the other elements of the Cycle. Organizations develop improvement plans and track corrective actions to address the capabilities identified in plans and tested in exercises or real events. In addition to corrective actions, assessment initiatives such as the State Preparedness Reports and FEMA-administered Gap Analysis tool provide the means to evaluate a States operational preparedness for key critical areas. Using this data to reassess and revise plans and protocols contributes to the beginning of the next Preparedness Cycle by ensuring that updated strategies and plans can be used to inform new preparedness-building activities.Corrective Action Program and System The Corrective Action Program (CAP) provides a standard methodology for handling corrective actions and improvement plans. The CAP System is a web-based application that enables users to prioritize, track, and analyze improvement plans developed from exercises and real-world events.Lessons Learned Information Sharing Lessons Learned Information Sharing (LLIS) is the national network of Lessons Learned and Best Practices for emergency response providers and homeland security officials.
• #38: These types of exercises typically highlight existing plans, policies, mutual-aid agreements (MAAs), and procedures. Thus, they are exceptional tools for familiarizing agencies and personnel with current or expected jurisdictional capabilities. Discussion-based exercises typically focus on strategic policy-oriented issues; operations-based exercises focus more on tactical response-related issues. Facilitators and/or presenters usually lead the discussion, keeping participants on track while meeting the objectives of the exercise.
• #39: Seminars provide a good starting point for jurisdictions that are developing or making major changes to their plans and procedures.
• #40: Although similar to seminars, workshops differ in two important aspects: participant interaction is increased, and the focus is on achieving or building a product (such as a plan or a policy).
• #41: A workshop may be used to produce new standard operating procedures (SOPs), Emergency Operations Plans (EOPs), MAAs, Multi-Year Exercise Plans, and Improvement Plans (IPs). To be effective, workshops must be highly focused on a specific issue, and the desired outcome or goal must be clearly defined.
• #42: TTXs are typically aimed at facilitating understanding of concepts, identifying strengths and shortfalls, and/or achieving a change in attitude. Participants are encouraged to discuss issues in depth and develop decisions through slow-paced problem solving rather than the rapid, spontaneous decision-making that occurs under actual or simulated emergency conditions. In contrast to the scale and cost of operations-based exercises and games. Characteristics of the Tabletop Exercise A tabletop exercise simulates an emergency situation in an informal, stress-free environment. The participants usually people on a decision-making levelgather around a table to discuss general problems and procedures in the context of an emergency scenario. The focus is on training and familiarization with roles, procedures, or responsibilities. 
• #43: In an advanced TTX, play focuses on delivery of prescript messages to players that alter the original scenario. The exercise facilitator usually introduces problems one at a time in the form of a written message, simulated telephone call, videotape, or other means. Participants discuss the issues raised by the problem, using appropriate plans and procedures.
• #46: The objective of the Functional Exercise is to execute specific plans and procedures and apply established policies, plans, and procedures under crisis conditions, within or by particular function teams. A functional exercise simulates the reality of operations in a functional area by presenting complex and realistic problems that require rapid and effective responses by trained personnel in a highly stressful environment.
• #47: An FSE focuses on implementing and analyzing the plans, policies, and procedures developed in discussion-based exercises and honed in previous, smaller, operations-based exercises. The events are projected through a scripted exercise scenario with built-in flexibility to allow updates to drive activity. It is conducted in a real-time, stressful environment that closely mirrors a real incident. First responders and resources are mobilized and deployed to the scene where they conduct their actions as if a real incident had occurred (with minor exceptions). The FSE simulates the reality of operations in multiple functional areas by presenting complex and realistic problems requiring critical thinking, rapid problem solving, and effective responses by trained personnel in a highly stressful environment. Other entities that are not involved in the exercise, but that would be involved in an actual incident, should be instructed not to respond. The level of support needed to conduct an FSE is greater than needed for other types of exercises. The exercise site is usually extensive with complex site logistics. Food and water must be supplied to participants and volunteers. Safety issues, including those surrounding the use of props and special effects, must be monitored. FSE controllers ensure that participants’ behavior remains within predefined boundaries. Simulation Cell (SimCell) controllers continuously inject scenario elements to simulate real events. Evaluators observe behaviors and compare them against established plans, policies, procedures, and standard practices (if applicable). Safety controllers ensure all activity is executed within a safe environment.
• #48: The level of support needed to conduct an FSE is greater than needed for other types of exercises. The exercise site is usually extensive with complex site logistics. Food and water must be supplied to participants and volunteers. Safety issues, including those surrounding the use of props and special effects, must be monitored. FSE controllers ensure that participants’ behavior remains within predefined boundaries. Simulation Cell (SimCell) controllers continuously inject scenario elements to simulate real events. Evaluators observe behaviors and compare them against established plans, policies, procedures, and standard practices (if applicable). Safety controllers ensure all activity is executed within a safe environment.