Facilitation of Tabletop Exercises
To ensure a timely, well coordinated response to a site emergency, it is important to put emergency response plans to the test. Experience and data show that a tabletop exercise is the most practical, efficient, and cost effective way to prepare for emergencies, disasters, and critical incidents.
BPS facilitates tabletop exercises to validate individual and collective elements of a site’s security posture and response capability. Our tabletop exercises are a realistic rehearsal or simulation of an emergency, in which individuals and organizations within the company demonstrate their knowledge of the tasks that would be expected of them in a real emergency.
At its highest level, our tabletop exercises provide simulations that:
- Promote preparedness
- Improve the response capability of individuals and organizations
- Validate plans, policies, procedures and systems, and
- Determine the effectiveness of the command, control and communication functions; and event-scene activities
Relax, it’s just an exercise
BPS designs each exercise to elicit constructive discussion as participants examine and resolve problems based on existing plans. There is minimal attempt at simulation, no utilization of equipment or deployment of resources, and no time pressures. The success of the exercise is largely determined by group participation in the identification of problem areas. The exercise provides an excellent format to help new emergency response team personnel and security personnel become familiar with established or emerging concepts and/or plans, policies, procedures, systems and facilities.
In a BPS tabletop exercise simulating an emergency situation you have:
- A low-stress environment to stimulate discussion of a simulated, but potentially real, situation. It is not the goal of these exercises to require the team to practice response to some building-wide biochemical disaster, or similar event.
- A review and testing of existing planned responses before an actual occurrence, as opposed to the fast-paced, spontaneous decision making typical of actual or simulated emergency conditions. A tabletop review reduces on-the-fly, seat-of-your-pants response decisions.
- Practice for every role in a response resulting in increased familiarity with the crisis / emergency response plan.
- An opportunity to incorporate lessons learned into your emergency response plans before discovering a misstep during an event.
- Professional evaluation of the exercise to identify systemic weaknesses and suggestions for corrective actions that will enhance facility preparedness and response.
Ready, Set, Exercise
BPS has facilitated and participated in numerous tabletop exercises ranging in size from eight people to eighty. Subject matter is only limited by the emergencies your site might experience. Let us know if you think you’re ready for your anticipated emergencies and we’ll come exercise your emergency response plan or help you develop one.
Developing Emergency Response Plans