| by Greg Friese
Fortunately, many of our camps will never experience a true emergency — serious
accident or fatality, financial collapse, program crippling property
damage, or mission threatening negative publicity. A clean record does
not guarantee a smooth future. Recent events like multiple swimmers drowning,
abuse allegations, vehicle accidents, and wildfires remind us of the
importance of having an emergency response plan. The best way to test
your plan and crisis team is to conduct an emergency response drill.
Types of Drills
Emergency response drills are categorized by complexity. Drill types
include a plan walk-through, tabletop exercise, event simulation, or
full deployment drill (Kamer 2003). As complexity increases the drill
length, stress on participants, necessary resources, and duration increase.
Pick a drill type based on organization knowledge, experience, and resources.
Plan Walk-Through
A plan walk-through introduces the crisis team to the emergency response plan.
In a staff meeting, review key points of the plan, when it is implemented,
and how it is executed. Refer participants to communication pathways, guidelines
for speaking to the media, emergency contact phone lists, and emergency procedures.
Conduct a plan walk-through when a new program is initiated, like a challenge
course, or as a new full-time staff member is hired. It is a great chance
to review roles and responsibilities by discussing what-if scenarios, like
a fall at a climbing site or a whitewater kayaking drowning. A plan walk-through
sparks discussion on preventing and responding to those horrible "what
ifs."
Tabletop Exercise
During a tabletop exercise, crisis team members respond to incoming information
about a hypothetical crisis as if it were real. A moderator and role players
feed crisis team members details as the scenario unfolds. For example, a
scripted role player calls the program office, "This is a drill. This
is Sgt. Friday, reporting a camp van rollover on highway 15 with multiple
injuries." During the drill, the crisis team leader assigns tasks and
facilitates resolution of the crisis.
A tabletop is a communication exercise and can have varying degrees
of intensity and duration depending on the organization's needs. Allow
several hours for execution and debriefing improvements to the plan and
assessing team function.
Event Simulations
Event simulations increase the level of realism and intensity. For example,
Wilderness Medical Associates wilderness first responder students respond
to simulated accident scenes, complete with fake blood and screaming patients
with simulated injuries. Students know it is a drill, but the level of stress
is palpable and helps prepare them for a real medical emergency. As the realism
increases, it is critical to have observers to ensure safety, evaluate individual
and team performance, and prepare feedback for participants. In likely outdoor
program emergencies, the response and patient care phases are usually low
duration. Consider extending the event simulation to include evacuation to
safety, communication to external audiences, and program continuity considerations.
An event simulation could last two to eight hours or longer. Like a real
incident, encourage participants to rest and recover afterwards. Conduct
your evaluation the next day after everyone is comfortable, relaxed, and
fed.
Full Deployment Drill
A full deployment drill is as real as possible. They are typically
used in law enforcement, aviation, or health-care settings to prepare
for situations like bioterrorism, plane crashes, or hostage rescue where
the incident could last for days. The duration simulates the fatigue,
staff changes, and planning cycles that occur in a long incident (Kamer
2003).
A full deployment drill requires extensive planning and a major commitment
of time and resources. It is unlikely a camp would independently respond
to a full-scale disaster. More realistically, you would be one of many
affected by a hurricane, wildfire, or bioterrorism incident. Contact
your local Red Cross, emergency management officials, law enforcement
agencies, or health-care providers to participate in a regional emergency
prevention and response program. Maybe your facility could become a treatment
area or evacuation site during a natural disaster, like the 2003 California
wildfires.
Conducting an Emergency Response Drill
To start planning, ask yourself, "What is our worst-case scenario?" Script
how that situation could unfold, identify parties involved, and set goals
for the drill. Phases of conducting a drill include:
- An emergency response plan needs to be in place and supported by
administration.
- The crisis team is aware of roles by doing a plan walk-through and
is committed to drill goals.
- Prepare role players. Script the time of their interaction, lines,
questions, and emotions. Realism increases learning.
- Brief the crisis team on necessary background information and how
the drill will unfold. Emphasize imagination, effort, and participation.
- Conduct the drill. Follow a script for delivering information and
assigning tasks to the crisis team. Observe the crisis team.
- Debrief the drill. Identify positive team and individual actions,
flaws in the plan, and areas for improvement.
- Celebrate!
Emergency response drills are an excellent way to improve emergency
planning and communication. If you do not have an emergency response
plan, you need one. Test the plan every year. Conduct a plan walk-through
when new administrative staff are hired or for major program changes.
An annual tabletop exercise keeps your plan relevant and the team sharp.
Unlike a real emergency, drills can be fun, but they are also stressful.
Reward your team with a meal or social opportunity afterwards. Practice
for the thing that keeps you awake at night and you may start to sleep
better.
| References |
| Ajango, D. Editor. (2000). Lessons Learned,
A Guide to Accident Prevention and Crisis Response. Alaska Outdoor
and Experiential Education. |
| Herman, M. L. and Oliver, B. B. (2001). Vital
Signs: Anticipating, Preventing, and Surviving a Crisis in a Nonprofit,
Nonprofit Risk Management Center. |
| Kamer, L. (2003). Preparing and Fine-Tuning
your Crisis Plan: a Workable Methodology. Larry Kamer. Kamer Consulting
Group. www.bizforum.org/whitepapers/kamer.htm. |
Originally published in the 2004 May/June
issue of Camping Magazine.
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