Exercise Alternatives for Training Emergency Management Command Center Staffs

vii, 195 pages. Appendix. Works Cited. Tables. Index. Cover has slight wear and soiling. Dr. Walter Green III worked for many years at the University of Richmond, in the School of Professional and Continuing Studies, where he was the chair of the masters program in emergency management. He was noted for this course, Introduction to Land Search and Rescue course in Fremont, CO. He published a substantial number of articles in emergency management related professional journals. Based on observations of exercises and actual disaster operations and practitioner literature, this volume provides a summary of current best practices for emergency managers, students, and scholars. Its content is applicable to government, voluntary agency, military, and business disaster response activities. Emergency management provides the coordination needed to develop an effective community response to disasters. This critical public safety function is typically performed in mobile command posts in the field and in the jurisdiction's emergency operations center. Preparing individuals who will work in these facilities to perform their tasks under emergency conditions requires effective and realistic exercise training. The Federal Emergency Management Agency provides a five model exercise design for progressive training of emergency management staffs. this study examines the history and theoretical basis for exercises. From this background, it suggests alternatives to these five models to provide greater flexibility in delivery, options for specialized training in decision making, exercises that will support all phases of emergency management, and options for increased realism. Among the alternatives suggested are Tactical Decision Games, What-Ifs Exercises, Postal Exercises, and a variety of simulation tools. The book is accompanied by a detailed appendix that provides specific instructions for each exercise type.…