After completing this lesson, you should be able to identify:

• Key factors in compiling the plan and getting approval.
• Key considerations for communicating the plan.
• Characteristics of an effective training and exercise program.
• The importance of taking corrective actions and updating the plan.

Audio Transcript

During the planning process, community partners consider what might happen before, during, and after an incident. They review all available information, including prior events, lessons learned, stakeholder concerns, legal requirements, vulnerabilities, and other information.

The team considers a range of options for assessing and mitigating vulnerabilities, responding to an incident, and recovering from an incident and selects the strategies that will be most effective in helping avert danger or minimize consequences.

After taking the time needed to assess and strategize, the team is ready to record these decisions and procedures in the planning document.

It is important to get buy-in and approval of the plan and to train others to implement the plan. After informing others about the plan, the next critical step is to conduct periodic drills and other exercises with students, congregation members, staff, volunteers, and community responders.

Staying prepared is a continuous process—not just a one-time planning effort or single drill. Preparedness requires a commitment to keeping the plan updated, practicing the procedures, and making improvements based on lessons learned.

Lockdown drills pay off

In October 2010 at Kelly Elementary School in Carlsbad, CA, the lockdown drills paid off at lunch, when a gunman walked onto the campus and began to shoot at the students outside. The staff responded as practiced and safely ushered the students inside and locked down the building in 3 minutes. Although two students were injured, had the staff not been prepared, it could have been much worse.

Yesterday ‘it worked’

In April 2010 at a middle school in Hastings, MN, a boy pulled a loaded gun out in class. His teacher convinced him to leave before anyone was harmed. Immediately, the office was alerted, the school locked down, and 911 called. As the boy walked the halls, he found the rooms locked. Police arrived and the boy was placed in custody. The police chief attributed the quick and effective response to the school having conducted safety drills saying, “…yesterday was a good example of ‘it worked.’”

Staying prepared involves understanding your vulnerabilities and having a plan for before, during, and after an incident. It also requires communication, training, exercising, and plan maintenance to ensure that all participants remain ready to implement the plan.

This lesson will present an overview of strategies for staying prepared that are suggested by experienced emergency management professionals. Select the link below to view key research sources for this lesson.

Turning ideas into a workable plan requires communication. Everyone who will take part in implementing the plan needs to understand what is supposed to happen, what actions they are responsible for, and how their roles fit into the overall scheme.

The first step in creating this shared awareness is to develop a written plan document that can be shared among the various stakeholders.

Your plan (or annex if an all-hazards emergency plan already exists) doesn’t necessarily have to be complex or elaborate as long as it is:

Adequate—An adequate plan: Identifies critical tasks.

• Is based on valid and reasonable assumptions.
• Complies with guidance.

Feasible—A feasible plan:

• Can be accomplished with available resources.
• Identifies where and how needed outside resources will be obtained.

Acceptable—A plan is acceptable if it:

• Thoroughly addresses the identified threat situation.
• Complies with legal requirements and is consistent with any regulations that apply.
• Is compatible with local emergency plans.

Complete—A plan is considered complete if it:

• Includes all the tasks to be accomplished.
• Addresses individuals with functional and access needs.
• Provides a complete picture of what should happen, when, and at whose direction.
• Strikes a balance between providing sufficient guidance for carrying out common tasks, and avoiding too much detail.

Usable—An easy-to-use plan is one that:

• Uses simple, clear language, avoids jargon, and minimizes the use of abbreviations.
• Uses short sentences and the active voice. (Qualifiers and vague wording only add to confusion.)
• Summarizes important information with checklists and visual aids, such as maps and flowcharts.
• Can be used by all audiences, including those with access and functional needs.

Checklist for Plan Organization and Format

☐ Organization

☐ Can users find what they need?

☐ Is all the information relevant?

☐ Is the plan formatted clearly?

☐ Is its content presented clearly?

☐ Sequence

☐ Can users understand the rationale for the sequencing?

☐ Are users able to scan for information they need?

☐ Consistency

☐ Does each section use the same logical progression, or do users have to reorient themselves?

☐ Adaptability and compatibility

☐ Is the information easy to use during unanticipated situations?

☐ Can the information be applied or adapted to effectively respond to each unique situation?

☐ Does the format promote or hinder coordination with local response agencies and personnel?

You can learn more about organizing and writing a plan or annex from the following source:

• Comprehensive Preparedness Guide (CPG) 101: Developing and Maintaining Emergency Operations Plans

Select the link below to access sample emergency plans and annexes for schools (K-12), institutions of higher education, and houses of worship:

• Schools Institutions of Higher Education, and Houses of Worship

 Schools

• Sample School Emergency Operations Plan. FEMA, March 2011. http://www.training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/emischool/EL361Toolkit/assets/SamplePlan.pdf
• Sample Childcare Emergency Operations Plan. FEMA, November 2011. https://training.fema.gov/is/courseoverview.aspx?code=IS-36
• Sample Campus EOP. Texas School Safety Center (Texas State University-San Marcos), 2010. http://www.txssc.txstate.edu/K12/eop
• School Emergency Response Plan Annex for Crisis Response. Illinois State Board of Education (no date). Access by going to https://www.isbe.net/Pages/School-Emergency-and-Crisis-Response-Plan-Guide.aspx 

Institutions of Higher Education

• Campus CERT, Starter Guide. FEMA. https://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/1470339607110-e31f7c7086431f7f8fba48bf6f3dd9fe/Campus_CERT_Starter_Guide_Final.pdf
• TAMU Emergency Operations Plan Annex V – Acts of Violence. Texas A&M University, 2012. http://www.tamu.edu/emergency/documents/AnnexV.pdf
• Plan Annex for Active Shooter. Rutgers University, 2012. https://ipo.rutgers.edu/sites/default/files/ACTIVE%20SHOOTER%20INCIDENT.pdf

Houses of Worship

• Emergency Plan Template for Faith Based Organizations. Missouri Faith-Based Homeland Security Initiative, (no date). https://fullyprepared.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/FaithBasedEmergencyPlanTemplate22410.pdf
• Emergency Action Plan for First Presbyterian Church. (Waunakee, WI), May 30, 2016. https://myfpc.org/resources/policies/

After the team assembles the plan, it is important to get acceptance and commitment from key stakeholders, including:\

• Those in your organization who will have a role in implementing the plan.
• Community partners, including law enforcement and first responders.
• Leadership in your organization with approval authority.

Commitment to the plan often results from using a collaborative planning process. It begins with the partnerships formed for planning and builds as the team works together to identify and develop strategies.

• During the planning process, stress the benefit each partner gains from providing input to the plan. Their planning contributions will result in a plan that better reflects their own perspective.
• In presenting the plan, emphasize the importance of the plan for keeping people safe.
• Seek the widest acceptance possible for the plan. Invite feedback from both the personnel in your organization and from the broader community.
• Include agencies with emergency or homeland security responsibilities in order to collect suggestions for improvements to the plan.
• Remember to include support staff and trained volunteers, who play an important role in maintaining a secure and safe environment.
• Have each group carefully review the portion of the plan they are responsible for, and solicit their feedback.

Most organizations will want to present the plan to the appropriate individuals for review, approval, and dissemination.

Placing a promulgation document in the front of the plan gives authority and responsibility to organization personnel to perform their tasks. A promulgation document:

• Allows the leadership to affirm their support for emergency management.
• Outlines the responsibilities of tasked organizations with regard to preparing and maintaining the plan.
• Conveys the commitment of those organizations to carrying out the training, exercises, and plan maintenance needed to support the plan.

Emergency preparedness is a community endeavor. Consider sharing the plan with a variety of stakeholders, which may include faculty, staff, faith-based leaders, trained volunteers, students and their households, members of the community, and the media.

For security reasons, the full details of the master plan are typically not made public. However, all stakeholders should know that a complete plan exists and should become familiar with any part of it that involves their participation.

There are many simple ways to communicate plan elements, from pamphlets to Web sites. Select the link below for examples:

• Conduct orientation meetings to explain why and how the plan was developed and provide an overview of the plan’s contents. Include administrators, law enforcement, other community partners, and public information as presenters. Invite the media.
• Post critical information, such as evacuation procedures and routes, in easily visible locations within the facility.
• Provide information in bulletins and newsletters.
• Create pamphlets that can be sent home with students or members of the congregation.
• Produce pocket guides or wallet-sized cards with procedure reminders.
• Create refrigerator magnets for lounges, residence halls, offices, and households.
• Put publicly viewable parts of the plan on your Web site.

For a plan to serve its intended purpose, it needs to become part of the culture, not just a document on the shelf. Training should be provided to:

• Develop awareness of the plan.
• Underscore the importance of preparedness.
• Prepare personnel to carry out the planned procedures effectively.

Training may be given in the form of orientations, briefings, and seminars.

•  Review safety and security procedures with ALL personnel, including:
• Administrators, faculty, and staff.
• Trained volunteers.
• Janitorial, maintenance, transportation, food service, and other support personnel.
• School Resource Officer (SRO) or guards/security staff (if any).
• Public information officer/spokesperson.
• Other involved personnel.
• Provide training for greeters and ushers. They play a key role in identifying potentially hazardous situations and initiating protective measures.
• Incorporate training into ongoing regular activities to keep people refreshed in how to implement procedures in a crisis.

As an example, take 5 to 10 minutes at every meeting of faculty, staff, or volunteers to present a section of your plan and review the procedures. Allow ample time for discussion and questions to ensure that everyone is familiar with the responses. This interaction is great for newcomers and begins to promote a culture of safety, security, and preparedness.

Look for similar opportunities that are appropriate for your situation.

• Give orientations for specific audiences, and invite emergency responders to attend and answer questions.
• Schedule brief presentations for students on specific procedures during homeroom, faith-based classes, youth group meetings, or other student activities. Follow the presentation with group discussion.

In any endeavor, the ability to perform effectively comes from practice. The more you practice procedures laid out in the plan, the better you will be able to respond effectively if the need arises.

Exercises are a means to train, assess, practice, and improve performance in a safe environment.

Snapshot: According to a 2010 survey by the U.S. Department of Education, 84 percent of public schools had a written response plan for a shooting incident but only 52 percent had drilled their students on the plan in the past year. Providing more practice will help you stay better prepared.

Local emergency management, first responders, and other relevant community partners should participate in the planning and conduct of exercises. When partners work together, exercises provide opportunities for:

Testing and validating plans, policies or procedures, training, equipment, and interagency agreements.

• Clarifying roles and responsibilities.
• Improving individual performance.
• Identifying gaps in resources, planning, or assumptions.
• Most importantly, identifying opportunities to improve.

Discussion-Based Exercises

Discussion-based exercises include seminars, workshops, tabletop exercises, and games. These types of exercises can be used to familiarize players with, or develop new, plans, policies, agreements, and procedures. Discussion-based exercises focus on strategic, policy-oriented issues. Facilitators and/or presenters usually lead the discussion, keeping participants on track towards meeting exercise objectives.

Seminars

Seminars generally orient participants to, or provide an overview of, authorities, strategies, plans, policies, procedures, protocols, resources, concepts, and ideas. They can be valuable for entities that are developing or making major changes to existing plans or procedures. Seminars can be similarly helpful when attempting to assess or gain awareness of the capabilities of interagency or inter-jurisdictional operations.

Workshops

Although similar to seminars, workshops differ in two important aspects: participant interaction is increased, and the focus is placed on achieving or building a product. Effective workshops entail the broadest attendance by relevant stakeholders. Products produced from a workshop can include new standard operating procedures, emergency operations plans, continuity of operations plans, or mutual aid agreements. To be effective, workshops should have clearly defined objectives, products, or goals, and should focus on a specific issue.

Tabletop

Exercises A tabletop exercise is intended to generate discussion of various issues regarding a hypothetical, simulated emergency. Tabletops can be used to enhance general awareness, validate plans and procedures, rehearse concepts, and/or assess the types of systems needed to guide the prevention of, protection from, mitigation of, response to, and recovery from a defined incident. Generally, tabletops are aimed at facilitating conceptual understanding, identifying strengths and areas for improvement, and/or achieving changes in perceptions.

During a tabletop, players are encouraged to discuss issues in depth, collaboratively examining areas of concern and solving problems. The effectiveness of a tabletop exercise is derived from the energetic involvement of participants and their assessment of recommended revisions to current policies, procedures, and plans.

Tabletops can range from basic to complex.

• In a basic tabletop (such as a Facilitated Discussion), the scenario is presented and remains constant—it describes an emergency and brings discussion participants up to the simulated present time. Players apply their knowledge and skills to a list of problems presented by the facilitator; problems are discussed as a group; and resolution is reached and documented for later analysis.
• In a more advanced tabletop, play advances as players receive pre-scripted messages that alter the original scenario. A facilitator usually introduces problems one at a time in the form of a written message, simulated telephone call, videotape, or other means. Players discuss the issues raised by each problem, referencing established authorities, plans, and procedures for guidance. Player decisions are incorporated as the scenario continues to unfold.

Games

A game is a simulation of operations that often involves two or more teams, usually in a competitive environment, using rules, data, and procedures designed to depict an actual or hypothetical situation. Games explore the consequences of player decisions and actions. They are useful tools for validating plans and procedures or evaluating resource requirements.

During game play, decision-making may be either slow and deliberate or rapid and more stressful, depending on the exercise design and objectives. The open, decision-based format of a game can incorporate “what if” questions that expand exercise benefits. Depending on the game’s design, the consequences of player actions can be either pre-scripted or decided dynamically. Identifying critical decision-making points is a major factor in the success of evaluating a game.

Operations-Based Exercises

Operations-based exercises include drills, functional exercises, and full-scale exercises. These exercises can be used to validate plans, policies, agreements, and procedures; clarify roles and responsibilities; and identify resource gaps. Operations-based exercises are characterized by actual reaction to an exercise scenario, such as initiating communications or mobilizing personnel and resources.

Drills

A drill is a coordinated, supervised activity usually employed to validate a specific function or capability in a single agency or organization. Drills are commonly used to provide training on new equipment, validate procedures, or practice and maintain current skills. For example, drills may be appropriate for practicing evacuation procedures.

Drills can also be used to determine if plans can be executed as designed, to assess whether more training is required, or to reinforce best practices. A drill is useful as a stand-alone tool, but a series of drills can be used to prepare several organizations to collaborate in a full-scale exercise.

For every drill, clearly defined plans, procedures, and protocols need to be in place. Personnel need to be familiar with those plans and trained in the processes and procedures to be drilled.

Functional Exercises

Functional exercises are designed to validate and evaluate capabilities, multiple functions and/or sub-functions, or interdependent groups of functions. Functional exercises are typically focused on exercising plans, policies, procedures, and staff members involved in management, direction, command, and control functions.

In functional exercises, events are projected through an exercise scenario with event updates that drive activity typically at the management level. A functional exercise is conducted in a realistic, real-time environment; however, movement of personnel and equipment is usually simulated.

Functional exercise controllers typically use a Master Scenario Events List to ensure participant activity remains within predefined boundaries and ensure exercise objectives are accomplished. Simulators in a Simulation Cell can inject scenario elements to simulate real events.

Full-Scale Exercises

Full-scale exercises are typically the most complex and resource-intensive type of exercise. They involve multiple agencies, organizations, and jurisdictions and validate many facets of preparedness. Full-scale exercises often include many players operating under cooperative systems such as the Incident Command System (ICS) or Unified Command.

In a full-scale exercises, events are projected through an exercise scenario with event updates that drive activity at the operational level. Full-scale exercises are usually conducted in a real-time, stressful environment that is intended to mirror a real incident. Personnel and resources may be mobilized and deployed to the scene, where actions are performed as if a real incident had occurred. The full-scale exercise simulates reality by presenting complex and realistic problems that require critical thinking, rapid problem solving, and effective responses by trained personnel.

The level of support needed to conduct a full-scale exercise is greater than that needed for other types of exercises. The exercise site is usually large, and site logistics require close monitoring. Safety issues, particularly regarding the use of props and special effects, must be monitored. Throughout the duration of the exercise, many activities occur simultaneously.

Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP)

The Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) provides a set of guiding principles for exercise programs, as well as a common approach to exercise program management, design and development, conduct, evaluation, and improvement planning.

Select this link to access information about HSEEP. https://www.fema.gov/hseep

When planning drills and other exercises, be sure you know your objective—what specific areas of your plan are to be tested:

• What function is to be tested?
• What personnel and resources are to be tested?
• What type of emergency will be addressed?
• What location will be used for the testing?
• What type of drill(s) will be used for testing?

It is important to create a progressive exercise program, beginning with simple exercises (e.g., simple tabletops and drills) and gradually introducing increasingly complex exercises that build upon the previous ones.

When conducting any exercise:

• Communicate information in advance. Doing so contributes to security awareness and avoids raising concern.
• Exercise under different conditions (e.g., classes/services in session, transition between classes/services, normal operations, special events).
• Debrief after each exercise and develop an after-action report and improvement plan.

Drills:

• Are an important way to practice a specific function, such as performing a reverse evacuation.
• Allow staff and trained volunteers to practice implementing the procedures and accounting for people under their supervision.
• Allow facility occupants (students, congregants, or others) to practice following procedures and instructions.

Drills will be most successful when you lay the proper groundwork:

• Conduct a stakeholder meeting to confirm responsibilities of all entities.
• Train all participants in the procedures.
• Coordinate with security personnel and law enforcement—invite them to participate or observe.
• Check all communication systems relating to emergency notification.
• Conduct the drill first with staff and trained volunteers.
• Then conduct the drill with staff, trained volunteers, and all facility occupants.

Communications drills are used to review and test communications protocols, including:

• External communications: Between different groups (e.g., your facility and various response agencies or community groups).
• Internal communications: Among personnel within your facility, such as between main office and individual rooms or groups that are outside the building.
• Vertical communications: Between your facility and your organizational hierarchy.

These types of drills can verify communications before conducting response action drills.

Response drills provide practice in specific emergency actions that may be required during a crisis. They can be facility-wide operations or initiated by staff with a subset of the population. Combination drills can also be created by combining response actions in a single drill. Examples of response drills include:

• Evacuation drills
• Lockdown drills
• Reverse evacuation drills
• Room clear drills

Emergency situations may occur at any time during the day or year. It is beneficial to conduct drills in ways that reflect this variability. Make the drills realistic, but do so safely. For example, vary the times and conditions for drills, to include:

• Class or service changes.
• Recess, gym classes, social hours, events, and meetings.
• Arrival and dismissal times.
• Times when food service areas are occupied.
• After hours (i.e., dances, theater, athletic events, community functions).

• During an evacuation drill, block normal routes or use human “blockers.”
• Remove individuals during a drill to see how long it takes to notice and act.
• Remove a staff member (unannounced) from his/her group to see if individuals in the group can follow procedures on their own.
• Conduct drills as people arrive in the morning or around dismissal time. Identify unique issues that arise during these times.
• Conduct spontaneous drills with specific groups—for instance, to see how quickly a room can go into lockdown mode.

Drills and other exercises are about learning and improving. Exercises can be used to reinforce a positive message about security and preparedness.

To underscore this message and keep from alarming participants and the community:

• At the beginning of each year or season, outline the different exercises that will be held.
• Notify households and caregivers anytime you plan a drill for your facility. Do not let them be caught unawares!
• When appropriate, use signage or other means to inform the community that an exercise is in progress.

Your organization may have requirements for how often drills are conducted. Regardless of requirements, drill scenarios should be practiced regularly to ensure that staff, trained volunteers, and building occupants are prepared to remain as safe as possible during potentially dangerous events.

Tabletop exercises:

• Can range from simple to complex and are usually focused on strategic, policy-oriented issues.
• Can be used to introduce community partners to new plans and procedures in the context of a specific scenario.
• Allow for informal and in-depth discussion and slow-paced problem solving. For example, the participants might review an actual event that happened elsewhere and discuss, What if that happened here?
• Help to identify potential challenges and identify solutions.
• Provide information to help you update or improve your plan.

Scenario: It is Valentine’s Day just around lunchtime. A young man appears at your entry area with a large bouquet of flowers and states he has a delivery for a teacher. The front office staff buzz the individual into the front office. As he approaches the front office, a custodian thinks he sees the individual carrying a gun.

Answer the following question: What should the custodian, other staff, and teachers do?

Scenario Update 1: Before the custodian can take any action, the individual drops the flowers and pulls out a gun. There are students in the hallways headed toward the cafeteria while others remain in their classrooms.

Answer the following questions:

• What are the priority actions?
• Who will be in charge?
• What information should be communicated? How will this information be communicated? And who do you need to communicate with?

Scenario Update 2: The gunman fires the gun and then runs toward the cafeteria. Five students and the custodian have been critically wounded. In addition, there are numerous other students who were injured as they ran away from the gunfire. Teachers are trying to account for the students who were in the hallways. There is confusion about the gunman’s whereabouts. Law enforcement officers and first responders have arrived at the scene. They have cordoned off the surrounding area and are preventing parents and guardians from getting to where their children are located. The school and immediate neighbors are locked down. The media has converged on the scene.

Answer the following questions:

• What are the priority actions?
• What do you need to do to protect and comfort students?
• What support can you give to the law enforcement officers?
• How will you interface with the media?

Scenario Update 3: Thirty (30) minutes later, officers apprehend the gunman in the neighborhood surrounding the school. Parents are anxious to be reunited with their children. The media is continuing to broadcast information from the scene.

Answer the following questions:

• What are the immediate recovery actions (e.g., reunification, counseling, etc.)?
• What are the longer-term recovery needs?
• How prepared is your school to deal with an event like this?
• How prepared is your school to interface with local law enforcement agencies?

Scenario: It is a Friday night, just prior to the week of final examinations. A basketball game is in progress with a rival school. Campus police officers are providing security at the game. There is another patrol officer on campus completing normal, routine patrol duties. The college president sometimes attends the games, but she is out of town on college business.

The team has done well this season but is expecting a challenge from this competitor. The gymnasium is filled to capacity, and the crowd is becoming rowdy. In the days leading up to the game, there have been some nasty exchanges between the rivals on social media sites.

Answer the following question: What, if any, are the potential concerns?

Scenario Update 1: It is near half-time. The home team has done well throughout the first half, but it’s still considered anybody’s game. Suddenly, a disturbance breaks out in the middle of the seating area, near the bottom of the stands. Several loud pops are heard, which sound like gunfire. The crowd panics and bolts.

The officers are unable to reach the area of the disturbance. One officer observes what he thinks is the suspect, running away from the gymnasium toward a campus residential area.

When an officer reaches the area of the disturbance, he discovers that a student has been struck by an apparent stray bullet. The student appears to be critically wounded. In addition, there are numerous other people who were injured as the crowd pushed out of the gymnasium.

Answer the following questions:

• What are the priority actions?
• Who will be in charge?
• What information should be communicated? How will this information be communicated? And who do you need to communicate with?

Scenario Update 2:  The campus patrol officer requests assistance from the County Sheriff’s Office to start a search for the suspect at the main campus and to help identify witnesses in the crowd that is still milling about near the gymnasium.

The college gymnasium is now a crime scene and is closed to all except law enforcement investigators and responding emergency medical personnel. The perpetrator has not been apprehended. Some members of the crowd identified the individual as a student who is being investigated for alleged plagiarism. The media have begun to arrive.

Answer the following questions:

• What are the priority actions?
• How will you manage the media interest in the scene?

Scenario Update 3: Two hours later, the gunman has been shot by law enforcement officers and the area has been secured. You have multiple injured students, staff, and faculty. The media, parents, and local citizens are converging on your campus.

Answer the following questions:

• What are the immediate recovery actions (e.g., reunification, counseling, etc.)?
• What are the longer term recovery needs?
• How prepared is your college or university to deal with an event like this?
• How prepared is your college or university to interface with local law enforcement agencies?

 Adapted from: Texas School Safety Center, Texas State University, Higher Education Services, Active Shooter/Killer Multiple Target Locations Exercise Tabletop, http://www.txssc.txstate.edu/HE/tabletop#Exer2

Scenario: It is a warm, sunny day. As the service is just about to end, a man gets out of his car wearing a long raincoat, walks past two greeters without acknowledging them, and enters the worship area. The individual is unfamiliar to the greeters. As he enters, one of the greeters says to the other one, “Do you see a gun under his raincoat?”

Answer the following question: What should the greeters do?

Scenario Update 1: Before the greeters take any action, the individual pulls out a gun. There are children in classrooms and a nursery in other parts of the building. Also, there are volunteers setting up for the post-service reception.

Answer the following questions:

• What are the priority actions?
• Who will be in charge?
• What information should be communicated? How will this information be communicated? And who do you need to communicate with?

Scenario Update 2: The gunman fires the gun and runs out of the sanctuary. One person has been struck by an apparent stray bullet and is critically wounded. In addition, there are numerous other people who were injured as the crowd pushed out of the sanctuary. Parents and guardians are anxious about their children who are in classrooms in another section of the building. There is confusion about the gunman’s whereabouts. Law enforcement officers and first responders have arrived at the scene. They have cordoned off the surrounding area and are preventing people from getting to where their children are located. Also, they have instructed the congregation and immediate neighbors to shelter-in-place. The media has converged on the scene.

Answer the following questions:

• What are the priority actions?
• What do you need to do to protect and comfort congregation members?
• What support can you give to the law enforcement officers?
• How will you interface with the media?

Scenario Update 3: Thirty (30) minutes later, officers apprehend the gunman in the neighborhood surrounding the house of worship. Parents are anxious to be reunited with their children. The media is continuing to broadcast information from the scene.

Answer the following questions:

• What are the immediate recovery actions (e.g., reunification, counseling, etc.)?
• What are the longer-term recovery needs?
• How prepared is your house of worship to deal with an event like this?
• How prepared is your house of worship to interface with local law enforcement agencies?

Exercises are a means of learning what works and what does not work as planned. To gain the benefit of each exercise, the team should conduct an after-action review to analyze lessons learned.

• Conduct a post-exercise evaluation immediately after the exercise.
• Include everyone who participated in the exercise.
• Assess whether the exercise’s objectives were achieved.
• Discuss the positive and negative outcomes.
• Allow time for participants to discuss their observations.
• Create an after-action report with steps for improvement

• How long did the drill take?
• Who designed the drill?
• What worked well?
• What needs to be improved?
• Do any other people need to be added to your team?
• What would the emergency response time be if this were not a drill?
• What should be our next steps?
• How will we track completion of the improvement steps?

Effective plans are never finished. They can always be updated based on experience, research, and changing vulnerabilities. Community stakeholders and experts should be included in the updating process. At a minimum, plans and procedures should be updated:

• At least annually.
• Following drills or other exercises.
• After an incident.

As with all planning and implementation initiatives, there is a danger that enthusiasm will wane as time passes. An annual review and update process is a way to combat this problem and renew enthusiasm for a vigorous emergency management program.

You should now understand how to stay prepared by communicating and exercising your plan.