Keeping it Real

Reynoldsburg High School

First responders in Reynoldsburg County, Ohio conducted a full-scale exercise last week. The training exercise started with a bomb threat at a Reynoldsburg library.  Then, vapor was reported leaking from a suspicious vehicle near the high school. That was followed by an explosion in the parking lot. After that, a gunman forced his way into the school, shooting those in his path.

For several hours, first responders from about a dozen agencies in Reynoldsburg, Pickerington, Whitehall and Bexley, and Franklin, Fairfield and Licking counties cooperated to evacuate students, rescue victims and neutralize the threats.

Analysis
Students were present during the exercises, being exposed to the sights, sounds and chaos of the situation.  Whether students should be present or not is a topic for another debate.  What I would like to address is the exercise itself.

This blog is not about analyzing right or wrong in the above exercise, but to take a moment to share with schools what their exercise program should look like. 

FEMA and Homeland Security have established that a robust, progressive exercise program is best practice for emergency management, especially in schools.  Being progressive means that each type of exercise is preceded by another, with each exercise developing skills that build upon skills learned in earlier exercises.  There are various types beginning with the very simple, to the very complex, and increasingly hazardous.

For schools, any exercise program should begin with an orientation.  This is where all patrons are alerted to the various types of protocols their district has, and their role in those protocols.  This can be done in a classroom, using a lecture format.  Many schools do this at the beginning of the year.  Remember to document attendance, and to provide a similar orientation for substitute teachers.

Drills are used to practice a specific skill.  For example, an evacuation drill practices the act of getting students out of the building as safely and quickly as possible.  If you add additional skills to be practiced, it ceases to be a drill, and becomes an exercise.  Remember, drills focus on one skill.  What skill is being practiced requires assessment and planning.

Tabletop exercises are a low-stress way of practicing a developed protocol.  They can range from a formal type using multiple agencies, to scenario-based exercises that ask the important question, "What do I do when.....?" It is not necessary to hire someone to conduct a tabletop for you, as they are relatively simple to plan and execute.  If you do hire someone, make sure they are building internal capacity.  Take a hard look at vendors who insist on returning for "recertification".

Functional exercises are more complex, and introduce more stress through realistic messages.  For example, calling a school to deliver a bomb threat (Make sure they know it's coming!) and then having that person call 911 to report it trains the school personnel to react under simulated stress.  The scope is still relatively narrow, but operating correctly under stress increases confidence, and identifies issues with the protocol that may not have been identified otherwise.

Full-scale exercises should only be conducted after all protocols and procedures have been rigorously tested by prior exercises and drills.  They use full mobilization of resources, thus increasing the complexity and danger.  They are not something to just do to show everyone that you are doing something.  They require careful planning, preparation and communication with all stakeholders.

Information on Exercise Design can be found at FEMA's EMI Institute.  The courses are free, and well worth the time.