A full-scale exercise:

• Is an interactive exercise designed to evaluate the operational capability of all facets of the emergency management system under review in a highly realistic and stressful environment.
• Differs from a functional exercise by involving actual field movement and mobilization, instead of simulation.

The realism of the full-scale exercise can be conveyed through on-scene actions and decisions, simulated “disaster survivors,” communication devices, equipment deployment, and resource and personnel allocation.