Why Exercises?

Why do we do exercises?  For that matter, what is an exercise?  Let's take the second question first.

Exercises are simulations, in our case of disaster events.  Generally they are conducted to:

(1) train and/or evaluate staff in the performance of their emergency jobs under realistic conditions,

(2) test equipment  in the roles in which it will be used - including hardware and software, and

(3) test plans and procedures for emergency response.

Testing in this context implies both evaluating whether or not something works and identifying ways in which performance can be improved.  Although there is a theoretical difference between training and testing, most exercises that we do serve for both training and testing.

Our exercises can be internal or external.  Internal exercises involve only our staff and the Virtual Emergency Operations Center.  External exercises involve and are conducted by other organizations that we support.

There are five commonly accepted types of exercises.  Two of these, orientations and tabletop exercises, are not really applicable to our virtual environment.  We do conduct and participate in:

(1) drills - these focus on specific subsystems, functions, or procedures within the Virtual Emergency Operations Center and may be done with limited staffing. 

(2) functional exercises - these involve most or all functions and systems of the virtual Emergency Operations Center and exercise a complete staff.

(3) full scale exercises - these normally involve the full system including the movement of resources and the performance of simulated on scene hands-on tasks.  For us, external exercises, even if they are functional for the agency conducting them, are full scale exercises for us.

So why do we do exercises?  There are three key reasons.  First, we use them to train new members on the actual job they will be doing when we are activated.  Our operations are complex, and for someone who has never been through an event they can seem difficult to perform.  Training takes away the newness and makes the unfamiliar familiar.

Second, we use them to maintain proficiency.  Experience shows us that if you do not regularly operate our systems you play catch-up during the first part of your duty shift in a major exercise or disaster.  And playing catch-up is stressful, causes errors, and results in slow and inefficient work.  That is why we run at least one drill or functional exercise each month.

Third, we are constantly modifying our software, checklists, job aids, and emergency operations plans to reflect new capabilities, new taskings, and lessons learned from previous events.  Testing these in drills and functional exercises are the only way we can be sure that they will work when we need them.

Finally, as a virtual organization, the only time we regularly "see" our members is in exercises or actual disasters.  Exercises help us get to know each other, see what each of us can do well, and build the teamwork and shared confidence needed when the water is rising, the wind is blowing, and other organizations need our help.