Planning and Exercise - Principles of Emergency Management - page 240

9. Past Exercises
Identify what was learned from previous exercises, if any, and how issues need
to be addressed:
− Who were the previous participants and who needs to be involved in the
new exercise? (Are there new people or portions of your organization that
need to be involved this time around?)
− To what extent were the exercise objectives achieved? (Should you con-
sider doing the same objectives again?)
− What lessons were learned?
− What problems were revealed and what was needed to fix them?
− What improvements were made following past exercises and do they need
to be included in the exercise?
− Have there been structural changes in your plans, procedures policies,
organizational structure, people and resources? Consider all of these to
include in your exercise objectives.
Select and Conduct Your Discussion-Based Exercise
In this step, you will select the exercise that is most suited to your needs and require-
ments. The different types of exercises are described in detail and each has a box
listing the process, requirements, materials, development time, and other factors
that may influence your choice.
Seminars
The seminar is an overview or introduction to provide information on roles and
responsibilities, plans, procedures, and/or equipment. Because there is rarely any
simulation or scenario-based analysis, and the flow of information is from one
direction only (the presenter), it is typically not considered a complete exercise.
Level of Difficulty: : easy
Level of Effort: : minimal
Development Time Frame : short
Delivery Time Frame : 1-2 hours
Suggested Process
− Review plans, policies procedures.
− Develop presentation materials.
− Establish meeting time, date, location, and attendees.
− Present the seminar.
− Collect input on how to improve the presentation.
− Make changes to the presentation materials.