ShakeAlert® Tests, Drills and Exercises Toolkit

Create a Planning Team. Involve representatives from the whole community to plan your organization’s drills and exercises. This should include languages spoken locally, as well as people with access and functional needs. Simple drills may not require much planning, especially if they are mandated by regulation or law. However, to fully test a system or process, multiple perspectives and levels of expertise will enhance the experience and enable a better evaluation of your test, drill, or exercise.

An Exercise Coordinator should be appointed if this position is not already established in the organization. This person oversees the drill or exercise and ensures that it stays on track.

An Exercise Facilitator can be the same as the Exercise Coordinator for drills and smaller exercises. However, a dedicated facilitator is specifically needed for Tabletop Exercises (TTX). A facilitator guides participants through a discussion of one or more scenarios.

Technical Support will be needed to integrate ShakeAlert EEW and any other technical features used in the test, drill, or exercise.

Exercise Evaluators are often individuals who are outside the organization and can provide more objective observations. The larger the exercise, the more evaluators will be required.

A Scribe(s) will be needed for taking notes during the drill or exercise, as well as during the evaluation.

Identify a clear purpose, objective(s), and scope that reflect what your organization wants to test, drill, or exercise with an EEW component. This will help to clarify what you are testing, drilling, or exercising and why.

Identify who will be involved. Decide if the test, drill, or exercise will include a specific group or the entire organization, and what their involvement or task(s) will be.

WHOLE COMMUNITY INCLUSION

It is critical to carefully design physical and technologically accessible aspects of exercises, so all people can participate — including those with disabilities and access and functional needs, and those with limited or no English proficiency, for example. Be thoughtful, flexible, accommodating, and inclusive – from your planning team members to the planning itself. The “whole community” concept is central to FEMA’s National Response Framework and HSEEP.

Write your scenario. Add the alert to start or to be used during your test, drill, or exercise.

For Drills, the scenario is straightforward; typically, only a single action is tested.

For Functional Exercises, scenarios could be short and simple or lengthy and complex, depending on what is being tested. The identified purpose and objective(s) will help your organization to focus on these topics for evaluation and improvement plans (i.e., often known as an After-Action Report/Improvement Plan [AAR/IP]).

Decide on a date, time, and location for optimal participation. Confirm this time with the organization’s leadership and all key participants.

Determine what technical support is needed before or during the drill or exercise. (See the Technical Checklist.)

Notify or invite participants/players. Include information that describes the ShakeAlert EEW test, drill, or exercise, possible benefits from participation, and proposed roles for the day of the event. Include the type, date, time, and location of the test, drill, or exercise; a description on what to expect; and a point of contact and note on where to access additional information in advance.

Consider these registration tips. Consider using a simple process for participants to register using online tools such as Eventbrite, Google Form, Zoom, other web-based formats, or whatever reliable approach works for your organization! Remember, not everyone has access to the internet and may not speak English. Encourage organizations to work with their stakeholders to encourage participation among the whole community and to manage registration for those who need help. Depending on your identified purpose, objective(s), and scope, consider registering the drill or exercise with the following:

• ShakeOut
• Your state and/or local Emergency Management Agency
• Ready.gov (FEMA)

KEEPING RECORDS

It may be important to keep a record of all participants for training records and to meet any compliance requirements.

Documented participation can also be kept in employee records to assist floor wardens and building assessment teams following earthquakes.

These records can be proof-positive of team, organizational, or community preparedness successes. They may even factor into future preparedness grant applications.

Reminders are always important. Consider issuing reminders via email, post them on the organization’s website and on its social media channels, and via placards placed in high-traffic areas throughout the organization’s facilities. This is important to engage sufficient and meaningful participation and to ensure those who have registered show up on the day of the drill or exercise.