UK Resilience
Last updated: 27 October 2008
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(See also Briefings chapter)
The safety of personnel during the exercise is of paramount importance. In live exercises, all participants - including exercise directors, umpires, volunteers and observers - should be made aware of any hazards within the area and reminded of safety issues. Exercise participants may not be familiar with the location and control may be needed to ensure that players are kept within the confines of the exercise area.
Before a live exercise, a safety audit should be completed to ensure that structures are safe and no unseen dangers are present on the site ( e.g. asbestos in old buildings or transport). A safety officer must attend the exercise to ensure that all participants comply with the safety requirements and do not place themselves, or others, in danger. At complex exercises, or where conditions are particularly hazardous, each participating organisation may need its own safety officer. The exercise can not be seen as a reason not to comply with health and safety requirements.
First aid/ambulance cover should be provided to deal with any health problems or injuries sustained during the exercise. For safety reasons, exercise directors should adopt an agreed procedure for intervention into the exercise, including cessation where necessary. The planning group should devise a codeword for this purpose (see Codewords below) and the means of relaying it to those participants without radio communication.
Ensure personal accident insurance is in place for all participants, including volunteers.
Consideration should be given to welfare arrangements during exercises. Welfare needs may vary depending on the type, timing and duration of the exercise. You may need to provide refreshments, changing, washing and toilet facilities before, during or after the event. The use of casualties adds realism to exercises but their welfare needs to be taken into account. Exercise "casualties" should not be placed in unsuitable conditions e.g. cold, wet or hard surfaces without appropriate care. Invariably the length of time envisaged for the activity turns out to be much longer. An area which is warm and dry should be available.
Exercises may be given a codename which should then be mandatory as a prefix to all messages - verbal or written - during the exercise. The group must take care that the codeword chosen is phonetically distinct from other key words that are use in communications. Neither should such words be used for other purposes in emergency response operations (e.g. Gold, Silver, Bronze).
The use of Codewords will ensure that everyone involved is aware that they are part of the exercise and not a real incident. Control Rooms / operations centres of all participating organisations must be informed about the codename, prior to the exercise. In addition, a member of the exercise planning group may attend the appropriate locations to ensure that the exercise is not treated as a real incident.
A codeword, which can be used to identify that a real incident has occurred and is not part of the exercise, should be agreed and circulated to all participants prior to the event. This could also be used if there are real casualties during the exercise. Examples of commonly used codewords are "Safeguard" or "No duff".
Some common terminology :
The exercise planning group should agree whether there should be any prior publicity. It may be advisable to issue prior public information to members of the public in the vicinity of the exercise to prevent any undue alarm, particularly for exercises at hazardous sites. However, this may attract a crowd of uninvited spectators. "Exercise in progress" signs may be strategically positioned. This can detract from the realism but reassures the public or uninvolved agencies, particularly in sensitive areas. The planning group should take account of a likely crowd and ensure public safety by deploying additional staff.
If public information is issued, the participants may also find out about the exercise and this could affect realism. The group may consider issuing information by letter, to the public on the day of the exercise. Details for the media could be embargoed until the day of the exercise.
Definition: An Exercise Controller needs to be appointed who has overall oversight and the authority to alter the planned programme, including early termination for safety reasons (e.g. adverse weather) or because the aim cannot be met due to outside influence (e.g. a major incident requiring real action by participants).
Definition: Exercise Directors play a role in both table top and control post or live exercises. They have access to the whole exercise programme and ensure that it proceeds according to plan.
In table top or control post exercises they often feed information to players to enable them to make management decisions in response. This can be done verbally or by written message and is known as a "paper feed" exercise. Sometimes this can be timed in advance with information fed to the players at pre-set intervals regardless of the previous responses. However, flexibility will allow the directors to use their own judgement and experience in timing the inputs. In control post or live exercises, the director's role should be less prescriptive. The directors should act as a team in constant communication and facilitate rather than orchestrate the exercise.
Intervention should be minimal and a last resort. The players need time to correct problems. Nevertheless, Exercise Directors should be clear whether those taking part in the exercise usually work together or are coming together for the first time; is the object to build a team or to exercise an existing one in an unfamiliar role? This will help Directors decide, for example, how much advice to give and whether to be in the same location as exercise players.
Exercise directors should intervene when there is confusion about the scenario or an organisational problem out of the control of the players. They should also intervene if failure to do so will compromise the exercise objectives or when one person's action/ inaction is jeopardising the opportunities afforded by the exercise.
Definition: Umpires watch and listen to the exercise with the particular brief of measuring whether activities are happening in the right place, at the right time and involving the right people. Their role differs from Exercise Directors in that Umpires have no responsibility for the mechanics of the exercise. They need to be very clearly briefed on what they should look for in order to assess whether or not the objectives are being met. Their role in subsequent de-briefing is crucial.
Definition: An observer is someone who has no role to play in the exercise but is witnessing events either to assess the preparations of the organisation or individuals within it, or to learn lessons. A central pool of "Observer" tabards (vests which identify roles) should be obtained, but each agency will be responsible for inviting their own observers within a maximum which the exercise planning group may wish to impose.
Too many observers can, if not carefully managed, cause confusion. They should have a real interest in the exercise. An advantageous "viewing area" may be helpful rather than carte blanche access to wander the site. This will also assist in ensuring their safety. A quality briefing for them is essential prior to and during the exercise. Wherever possible, a member of the directing staff should be available to explain events and procedures as the exercise unfolds.
Observers may not be invited or able to attend the debriefing after the exercise, but their views should always be sought. An "Exercise Evaluation Form", sent with the invitation, would go some way to achieving feedback. Alternatively, written comments could be forwarded to the exercise planning group for consideration at the debriefing.
To avoid confusion, non-participating personnel such as the exercise controller, exercise directors, observers etc. should be clearly identifiable from exercise participants. In a control post or live exercise, this may take the form of reflective tabards marked clearly - front and back - with "observer" or "exercise controller/director", reflective/luminous armbands or reflective jackets. Access to certain areas of the exercise may be restricted by pre-arrangement to identified personnel. Care needs to be taken not to create confusion between participants and observers and white, non-reflective tabards have been introduced for observers in some areas to minimise the risk of confusion.
It is important in all types of exercise to be able to identify which agency each person represents by uniform or badge.
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