Developing a Hazardous Materials Exercise Program: A Handbook for State and Local Officials
Click HERE for graphic.
To date, the NRT has published the following four documents:
NRT-1 - Hazardous Materials Emergency Planning Guide (March 1987)
NRT-1A - Criteria for Review of Hazardous Materials Emergency Plans
(May 1988)
NRT-2 - Developing a Hazardous Materials Exercise Program - A
Handbook for State and Local Officials (September 1990)
- Directory of Federal Information Resources for Emergency
Planning and Response (August 1989)
National Response Team
of the National Oil and Hazardous
Substances Contingency Plan
G-WER /12, 2100 2nd Street SW, Washington, D.C. 20593
The National Response Team (NRT) -- composed of 14 Federal agencies
having major responsibilities in environmental, transportation,
emergency management, worker safety, and public health areas -- is
the national body responsible for coordinating Federal planning,
preparedness, and response actions related to oil discharges and
hazardous substance releases.
The NRT member agencies are: Environmental Protection Agency
(Chair), Department of Transportation/U.S. Coast Guard (Vice-chair),
and Department of Transportation/Research and Special Programs
Administration, Department of Commerce, Department of the Interior,
NRT Department of Agriculture, Department of Defense, Department of
State, Department of Justice, Department of Health and Human Services,
Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Emergency Management Agency,
Department of Energy, Department of Labor, and Nuclear Regulatory
Commission.
Under the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986,
the NRT is responsible for publishing guidance documents for the
preparation and implementation of hazardous substance emergency plans.
In 1987, the National Response Team published "NRT-1: Hazardous
Materials Planning Guide." That guidance recommends, among other
things, the testing of emergency plans through regularly scheduled
exercises. "NRT-2: Developing a Hazardous Materials Exercise Program-
A Handbook for State and Local Officials" has been produced to provide
guidance for the initial development of (or refinement of an existing)
exercise program. Further, it identifies Federal level resources
available to States and locals to assist in their implementation of
comprehensive exercise programs to assess their hazardous materials
Plans and annexes. This document is not intended to serve as a basis
for formal approval or disapproval of exercise programs; however, its
use is encouraged.
The Federal agencies of the National Response Team and thirteen
Regional Response Teams are committed to provide ongoing planning,
training, and exercise support to enhance preparedness capabilities at
local, State, regional and national levels for hazardous materials
contingencies.
Jim Makris CAPT W.F. Holt
Chair Vice-chair
National Response Team National Response Team
Report Oil and Chemical Spills Toll Free (800)424-8802
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. INTRODUCTION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Legislative Background. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Relationship to Multi-Hazard Preparedness . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Relationship Between Emergency Preparedness and Exercises . . . 2
II. BENEFITTING FROM EXERCISES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
III. SELECTING THE RIGHT TYPE OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS EXERCISE. . . . . 7
Exercise Participants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Exercise Types. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Tabletop. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Functional. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Full-Scale. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
IV. AN OVERVIEW OF EXERCISE ACTIVITIES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
PREPARATION ACTIVITIES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Establish An Exercise Design Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Exercise Scale Decisions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Selection of Exercise Objectives. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Exercise Scenario Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Exercise Evaluation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Training and Exercising . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Final Preparations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
EXERCISE CONDUCT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
POST-EXERCISE ACTIVITIES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Evaluation Process. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Exercise Feedback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
Follow-up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
V. LEARNING FROM THE EXPERIENCES OF OTHERS . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Initial Notification of Response Agencies . . . . . . . . . . .24
Direction and Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Communications - Responder. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
Warning Systems and Emergency Public Notification . . . . . . .25
Public Information/Community Relations. . . . . . . . . . . . .26
Resource Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
Health and Medical Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
Response Personnel Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
Personal Protection of Citizens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Fire and Rescue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Law Enforcement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Ongoing Incident Assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
Human Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
Public Works. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
Hazardous Materials Identification and Analysis . . . . . . . .31
TABLE OF CONTENTS (Cont'd.)
VI. TAPPING ADDITIONAL RESOURCES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
FEDERAL AGENCY RESOURCES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
National Response System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
Federal Emergency Management Agency . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36
Environmental Protection Agency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
U.S. Coast Guard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
Department of Transportation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
Department of Health and Human Services . . . . . . . . . . . .45
Department of Commerce. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46
Department of Defense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
PRIVATE SECTOR RESOURCES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
ABBREVIATIONS/ACRONYMS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51
BIBLIOGRAPHY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
APPENDIX A:
Hazardous Materials Exercise Evaluation Methodology (HM-EEM)
and Manual Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-1
APPENDIX B:
FEMA Form 95-16: Exercise Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-1
APPENDIX C:
Sample Tabletop Scenario and Sequence of Events . . . . . . . C-1
APPENDIX D:
Sample Full-Scale Scenario and Sequence of Events . . . . . . 0-1
APPENDIX E:
Sample List of Participants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-1
APPENDIX F:
Sample Exercise Planning Checklist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . F-1
APPENDIX G:
Sample Exercise Equipment List. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-1
LIST OF TABLES
1 Exercise Types Employed by EPA, FEMA, and USCG. . . . . . . . . . 9
2 Exercise Characteristics for a Hypothetical Community . . . . . .11
3 Federal Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
I. INTRODUCTION
A comprehensive exercise program is one of the best means for
assessing emergency plans and procedures, for determining the
readiness of emergency responders, for resolving questions of
coordination and clarifying roles and responsibilities, and for
promoting awareness of potential hazards.
This handbook was prepared as guidance by the National Response
Team to provide State and local governments with practical advice for
developing a comprehensive hazardous materials exercise program. It
is not intended to become the basis for a Federal requirement to
establish a hazmat exercise program. The purposes of this handbook
are many:
- To emphasize the value of exercises in testing and improving
emergency plans and training emergency response personnel.
- To provide pointers for selecting the appropriate exercise type
and exercise objectives based on community risk, capability,
available resources, and level of support from elected
officials.
- To apply lessons learned from other exercises and actual
incidents.
- To describe Federal and private sector support and assistance
available for conducting hazardous materials exercises.
Legislative Background
Public Law 99-499, the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act
(SARA), contains some significant new requirements for Federal and
State governments and industry related to hazardous materials
emergency preparedness and community right-to-know. This law amends
the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability
Act of 1980 (CERCLA).
Title III of SARA, known as the Emergency Planning and Community
Right-to-Know Act, requires the Governor of each State to establish a
State Emergency Response Commission (SERC). Each SERC, in turn, is
required to designate Emergency Planning Districts within the State to
facilitate preparation and implementation of emergency plans. Each
State Commission is also required (by August 17, 1987) to appoint
members of a Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC for each
Emergency Planning District. At present, there are more than 3,800
LEPCs across the country.
LEPCs were mandated to prepare emergency plans by October 17, 1988.
SARA Title III requires that these plans must include, among other
things, "methods and schedules for exercising the &an" (emphasis
added). Other LEPC administrative duties related to planning include
holding public meetings to discuss emergency plans, taking into
account and responding to public comments, and distributing emergency
plans. Committees are also responsible for reviewing plans once each
year or more frequently as dictated by changed circumstances in the
community or at a facility. Finally, Committees are to evaluate the
need for resources necessary to develop, implement, and exercise,
emergency plans. These requirements are described briefly to set the
stage for discussing practical advice for the development of a
comprehensive hazardous materials exercise program.
Relationship to Multi-Hazard Preparedness
Prior to the passage of SARA Title III, many State and local
governments were involved in hazardous materials emergency management
programs. In fact, many of the 56 States and territories had included
hazardous materials annexes in their emergency operations plans (EOP).
Commonly, State and local emergency operations plans may be divided
into three distinct elements: the basic plan, functional annexes, and
hazard specific appendixes. Plans developed under Title III have
often become the hazardous materials appendix to existing EOPs. The
basic plan and functional annexes collectively address the common
elements of an emergency response. Hazard specific appendixes contain
technical information and details to address the unique risk and
characteristics of a particular hazard. This basic approach to
planning the integrated emergency management system (IEMS) is intended
to facilitate a community planning for each hazard that threatens the
particular jurisdiction.
A comprehensive integrated emergency management system is the most
effective means for protecting the community from a variety of natural
and technological hazards. Through its Comprehensive Cooperative
Agreements (CCA), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
provides each State a vehicle for applying for and receiving technical
and financial assistance to plan and prepare for multiple hazards.
One element of the CCA program focuses on exercises to validate
emergency preparedness and response capabilities. FEMA does recognize
exercises conducted outside the CCA program, such as those exercises
encouraged by SARA Title III. For more information on the CCA
Program, see Chapter VI, Tapping Additional Resources.
Relationship Between Emergency Preparedness and Exercises
Emergency preparedness is a continuous process with three integral
functions: planning, training, and exercising. Each function is
dependent upon the other two functions and should not be viewed in
isolation. Although the process generally begins with planning, moves
to training, to exercising, and back to planning, there is
considerable interaction among these functions. The diagram below
summarizes where exercises fit into the preparedness process:
PLANNING
EXERCISING - TRAINING
PREPAREDNESS: A CONTINUOUS PROCESS
Preparedness activities should not concentrate solely on
development of an emergency plan, but should focus upon all functions
of the continuous process that result in a response organization being
well prepared to meet the needs that arise during a hazardous
materials incident. Once a plan has been developed and personnel have
been trained to implement the plan, the response organization is then
ready to determine if its plan is workable and adequate to meet
anticipated needs and if personnel are properly trained.
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After completing an exercise, emergency managers should assess the
results of the exercise to identify plan and resource strengths and
weaknesses and to assess the adequacy of training programs and the
need for additional training. This assessment may form the basis for
changes to the plan and to the organizations training program,
thereby, resulting in a higher level of preparedness for the
community. The LEPC, working with the SERC, should facilitate the
development of an exercise program as part of the overall preparedness
process
because: 1) the hazardous materials emergency planning and response
organizations are members of the LEPC;
2) Tide HI reporting information, useful in the exercise development
process, is managed by the LEPC; and 3) the development and review of
Tide Ell plans are coordinated by the LEPC.
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II. BENEFITTING FROM EXERCISES
The question is often asked, "Why conduct exercises?" Exercises
serve several important functions for emergency response
organizations:
EXERCISES.......
- Provide a means to assess the readiness of State and local
emergency plans and response capabilities.
- Test the knowledge and skills of plan implementers.
- Serve as a training tool for emergency response personnel.
- Provide an opportunity to practice skills and improve individual
performance under varying degrees of stress.
- Require participants to network with each other and coordinate
decisions on resources.
- Provide a means to educate and involve the public, media, and
key community organizations in emergency planning.
Some benefits of exercises include:
- Readiness for response is increased in the event of an actual
emergency.
- Procedural and policy gaps are identified.
- Conflicts are revealed.
- Roles and responsibilities are confirmed.
- Resource needs are identified.
- Effectiveness of training is evaluated and additional training
needs are identified.
- Modifications and improvements to emergency plans, procedures,
and action checklists are identified based upon the lessons
learned from the exercise.
- Hazardous materials responders practice working together as a
team.
- Public support is likely to increase for the overall emergency
management program.
5
Teamwork among emergency managers and first responders can be
created through emergency exercises. Such teamwork seldom results
simply from a group working together and drawing up plans under normal
conditions. Paper plans are not enough and are no substitute for an
exercise, because normal everyday activities differ from crisis
actions.
Exercises provide a sense of urgency, and the exercise scenario
requires response organizations to develop alternatives and make
decisions under the pressure of time without the possibility of
serious consequences. Exercises also lead to an understanding of how
to deal with a threat during a crisis - which is not an intuitive
skill, but one which must be practiced. Evidence shows that exercises
have had a substantial impact on improving performance during an
actual emergency.
As part of exercise planning, however, liability issues need to be
considered. Before undertaking a hazardous materials exercise,
emergency management personnel and those serving as a member of an
LEPC should check with the SERC and appropriate city and county
attorneys about respective State and local laws and liability
protection.
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III. SELECTING THE RIGHT TYPE OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS EXERCISE
A comprehensive hazardous materials exercise program is a goal
generally achieved by a response organization over a period of time.
Many response organizations will prefer to start out on a small scale
and move toward more sophisticated exercises. this handbook has been
developed to help response organizations select the right type of
exercise to meet specific objectives.
A response organization needs to consider several factors in
deciding the scope of a hazardous materials exercise. These factors
include:
- Stage of development of emergency response plan and procedures.
- Nature and extent of risk posed by various hazardous materials
located in or passing through the community.
- Existing emergency response capabilities of community.
- Cost of the exercise and level of funding available.
- Degree of support from key elected and appointed officials.
- Availability of resources from all sources (Federal, State,
local, and private sector).
- Extent to which the response organization can test its response
plan while minimizing the impact on its ability to deliver
routine services.
- Other exercise requirements mandated by Federal and State
agencies.
A comprehensive exercise program must fit the needs and resources
of the community. Some type of exercise program should be feasible at
all levels of government and in all sizes of towns and cities. Every
community can conduct a hazardous materials exercise with the
resources available to it.
Exercise Participants
The development of any comprehensive exercise program requires
sufficient preparation. An effective tool for such preparation is the
orientation seminar, which can be used to set up a framework for a
comprehensive exercise program, lay a foundation for an individual
exercise, or both. These introductory and/or refresher (review)
seminars may cover emergency plans and/or procedures, exercise
scenarios, and/or objectives.
Orientation seminars are instructional, and are typically presented
using lectures, panel discussions, media presentations, and verbal
"walk-throughs." The seminars can involve all levels of personnel
expected to participate in exercises, particularly emergency
responders. The seminars are also frequently used to review lessons
learned from actual incidents or 'case histories.'
A key aspect of orientation seminars is defining the roles of
people,involved in exercises. Frequently used terms that identify
these,roles include: players, controllers, evaluators, and observers.
Generally, these terms are defined as follows:
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PLAYERS - are exercise participants who have assignments in an
emergency response organization or team that is committed to
execute or support specific Federal, State or local efforts. These
assignments can include saving lives, protecting property and
public health, obtaining and managing resources, and coordinating
with other local, State, and Federal players upon the occurrence of
an oil or hazardous material spill or release. Players will make
decisions and respond to scenario events in as realistic a manner
as possible. All players should be familiar with the emergency
response structure, functions, and procedures that they will be
expected to perform.
CONTROLLERS - are those persons whose role is to ensure that the
exercise objectives are sufficiently exercised to permit
evaluation, that the level of activity keeps players occupied and
challenged, and that the pace of the exercise proceeds according to
the scenario. Controllers answer players' questions and resolve
exercise issues as they arise, and monitor the safety of the
exercise.
EVALUATORS - are those persons assigned to each major "playing'
element to observe the exercise and gather data. Their primary
role is to observe actions taken by players and to record their
observations. The evaluators' efforts provide the major portion of
the documentation necessary to critique the exercise and produce an
exercise report. The evaluators may also assist the controllers in
keeping the exercise on track, but will not interfere with the
players in the performance of their duties.
OBSERVERS - are typically part of an audience who are spectators
only.
Each person involved in an exercise plays an important role. A
list of potential exercise participants to be considered when planning
and exercise can be found in Appendix E. The "players' respond to the
events of the scenario or simulated emergency. "Controllers' help
guide the scenario by interjecting control messages to ensure that
exercise play conforms to the scenario. In a hazardous materials
exercise, 'observers" might be emergency management/response personnel
from the involved community or neighboring communities who are
planning their own exercise and may benefit from observing from the
sidelines.
The "evaluators" serve as recorders of events. They gather facts,
times, events, and details relevant to the exercise. Evaluators
assess the actions of the players during the exercise. Evaluators
should be trained on evaluation techniques in advance of an exercise.
Evaluators can be emergency management/response personnel from the
involved response organization, from neighboring communities,
representatives from State and Federal agencies, or other observers.
Often times, observers can provide an objective and unbiased view of
the exercise.
After the exercise, this objective and factual information
collected by the evaluators, and from the controllers and players,
becomes the foundation from which an assessment can be made of
organizational performance and conclusions can be drawn concerning the
strengths and weaknesses of the response
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organization. From these conclusions, the results of the exercise are
reported, problems or opportunities for improvement are identified,
emergency plans and procedures are reviewed and revised, training
programs are modified and enhanced, and follow-up exercises are
scheduled.
Exercise Types
In recent years, emergency managers have utilized a variety of
exercise types to assess the adequacy of emergency plans. A number of
these exercises have been conducted with the support of Federal
agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the United States Coast
Guard (USCG), as well as with the support of private industry.
Additional detailed information on exercise support is provided in
Chapter VI, Tapping Additional Resources.
Several different terms have been used to describe exercise types.
FEMA uses the exercise categories of tabletop, functional, and full-
scale. EPA identifies two types of exercises; tabletop and field.
USCG uses a functional type exercise called OSC/RRT and a field type
exercise known as OSC/Local. Private sector organizations may also
classify their exercise types differently from the public sector
types.
Table 1 lists the types of exercises employed by EPA, FEMA, and
USCG. The groupings of entries in Table 1 indicate that exercises
with substantially similar characteristics are given different names
by different organizations.
TABLE 1 EXERCISE TYPES
SPONSORING
ORGANIZATIONS
EXERCISE EPA FEMA USCG
TYPES
TABLETOP X X
FUNCTIONAL
Functional X
OSC/RRT X
FULL-SCALE
Full-Field X
OSC/Local X
Full-Scale X
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In this document, for the purposes of simplicity, increased
precision, and internal consistency, three major types of exercises
are described in detail below and summarized in Table 2 -- tabletop,
functional, and fullscale. Table 2 presents a spectrum of exercise
types and characteristics using a hypothetical community. The table
is designed to help in the consideration of options during the process
of selecting a type and size of exercise. It is aimed particularly at
communities that are beginning to develop an exercise program.
Regardless of the type and size of an exercise, hazardous materials
exercises have the potential to involve many agencies. At a minimum,
hazardous materials exercises should stress the interactions of
emergency response organizations and if possible. conclude with a
written report of exercise activities and recommendations for
improvements.
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TABLE 2
EXERCISE CHARACTERISTICS FOR A HYPOTHETICAL COMMUNITY
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NOTES: a The major differences among the three exercise types is
the variation in complexity and size.
b These ranges of numbers of evaluators are only examples.
For actual exercises, the number of evaluators varies based
upon availability, community resources, and the size and type
of exercise.
c A FEMA Form 95-16 may be completed following an exercise.
See Appendix B for a copy of the form.
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Tabletop
A tabletop exercise is an activity in which elected or appointed
officials and key staff with emergency management responsibilities are
gathered together informally, usually in a conference room, to discuss
actions to be taken during an emergency based upon the emergency plan
and their standard operating procedures (SOPs). The primary
characteristic is a verbal 'walk through" of a response to an
emergency situation. The tabletop exercise is designed to elicit
constructive discussion by the participants, without time constraints,
as they examine and resolve problems based on the emergency plan.
The purpose of a tabletop exercise is to have participants practice
problem-solving and resolve questions of coordination and assignment
of responsibilities in a non-threatening format, under minimum stress.
Tabletop exercises can be used in preparation for a functional or
full-scale exercise.
Tabletop exercises typically involve a limited demonstration of
operational response and/or internal coordination activities. In many
cases, responders from only a few local agencies are involved. Post-
exercise evaluation activities are usually limited to an oral critique
session during which recommendations for improvement are discussed
with and among participants. A brief written report summarizing
exercise activities and recommendations for improvement may also be
prepared. The FEMA Form 95-16 may be completed. The use of
evaluators who are not players in the exercise can help identify
opportunities for improvement. The number of evaluators needed will
vary depending upon the size of the community, resources available,
and number of functions exercised. One or two evaluators are
frequently used, but six or even more could be used for a large
exercise. Table 2 summarizes the characteristics of a tabletop
exercise in the context of the fun spectrum of exercise types for a
hypothetical community.
Functional
A functional exercise is more extensive than a tabletop exercise in
that activities are conducted beyond a conference room atmosphere. It
can take place in some type of Emergency Operating Center (EOC), with
concurrent field activity (e.g., at the scene of a simulated
transportation related incident). Often times, this type of exercise
focuses on a single function or activity within a function (e.g.,
direction and control). It can also involve deploying equipment in a
limited, function-specific, capacity.
The purpose of a functional exercise is to test the planning and
response capabilities of personnel and systems relative to the tested
function. For example, a direction and control functional exercise
would be designed to test and evaluate the centralized emergency
operations capability and timely response of one, two, or several
units of government under a stressful environment. The exercise might
be centered in one or more EOCs or command posts and could either
simulate or involve the use of limited outside activity and resources.
The level of resources mobilized should be adequate to demonstrate the
direction and control operations in response to the simulated
emergency.
Another example might be a transportation exercise designed to test
the capability of local response officials to establish a command post
at the scene and coordinate the on-site response activities with
emergency response personnel, the transportation carrier (e.g.,
railroad, trucking company, airline), and the shipper(s).
The scope of activity in a functional exercise will include more
policy and coordination personnel than are usually involved in
tabletop exercises. The level of response agency coordination should
increase as more agencies from State and local governments
participate. Federal participation may also be involved, and include
exercise design, coordination, and evaluation support. The number of
evaluators needed is usually more than for a tabletop exercise, and
four to 12 evaluators is a fairly typical range. These numbers are
only examples, however, and the number of evaluators will vary from
exercise to exercise, depending on locale, size of the community,
resources available, and number of functions exercised. Post-exercise
activities often include an oral
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critique, and frequently result in a written report of the exercise
activity and recommendations for follow-up activity being submitted to
local officials. Table 2 summarizes the characteristics of a
functional exercise in the context of the full spectrum of exercise
types for a hypothetical community.
Full-Scale
A full-scale exercise is used to evaluate response organizations'
operational capabilities in an interactive manner over several hours.
The purpose of a full-scale exercise is to test a major portion of
the functions in an emergency plan. A full-scale exercise
incorporates a high degree of realism, extensive involvement of
resources and personnel, and an increased level of stress.
This type of exercise includes mobilization of personnel and
resources to many sites (e.g., State and local EOCs, incident command
posts, mass care centers, medical facilities equipment staging areas)
and the actual movement of emergency personnel equipment, and
resources required to demonstrate a coordinated response capability.
As with the functional exercise, types of activity will include
operations, coordination, and policy-level personnel but with broader
participation. State and Federal participation may include exercise
design, coordination, and evaluation support. The number of
evaluators is usually more than for either a tabletop or functional
exercise, and 10 to 50 evaluators is a fairly typical range. These
numbers are only examples, however, and the number of evaluators will
vary from exercise to exercise, depending on locale, size of the
community, resources available, and number of functions exercised.
Post-exercise activities could include an oral critique, a participant
debriefing, and generally conclude with a formal written report.
Table 2 summarizes the characteristics of a full-scale exercise in the
context of the full spectrum of exercise types for a hypothetical
community.
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IV. AN OVERVIEW OF EXERCISE ACTIVITIES
PREPARATION ACTIVITIES
Once a response organization has an emergency plan in place,
certain advance planning activities need to be completed before an
exercise is conducted. These activities include: Establishing An
Exercise Design Team, Exercise Scale Decisions, Selection of Exercise
Objectives, Exercise Scenario Development, Exercise Evaluation, and
Training and Exercising. After these advance planning activities have
been completed, there are other final preparations which must be
completed immediately before the exercise.
Establish An Exercise Design Team
A key element in the successful development of an exercise is to
establish an exercise design team. The responsibility of the 'team'
is to select the functions and the objectives of the exercise.
A multi-disciplinary approach to team composition provides an
excellent opportunity to understand the needs of others. Team members
should be knowledgeable in the disciplines or functions being
exercised. It is also beneficial if these,persons have experience in
emergency management and response, are creative, and possess "team
building skills.'
The team should include representatives from various local agencies
such as fire, police, emergency medical services, emergency
management, public works, utilities, schools, hospitals, the weather
service, the media (it is advantageous for the public to know you are
addressing community needs), and nearby organizations participating
through mutual aid agreements. The team should also include industry
representatives from the hazardous materials facility, or, for
transportation-related scenarios, representatives from the shipper or
carrier. Because they will generally be made aware first of unusual
and potentially dangerous events, they play a crucial role in the
design of a realistic exercise. The representation of a Local
Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) is a good base for an exercise
design team.
Once the team is established, the next step is to appoint or elect
one member to be the team director. Exercise development is a complex
task, therefore this person should be someone who can motivate people
to continue working when things get difficult.
The team is responsible for coordinating exercise 'play" activities
(e.g., the type of exercise, response organization/s involved, etc.)
between the multiple levels (i.e., State, county, and local) of
emergency response organizations. This will help avoid fragmented or
redundant decision making play and confusion which is particularly
important if an exercise is conducted on the borderline of States,
counties, or cities. The team is also responsible for writing the
scenario. In order for the exercise to be successful, the players
should not be included in writing the scenario, and the scenario
should be kept confidential. Team members would also make ideal
controllers or evaluators of an exercise. An exercise team should
consider the types of participants to be involved in their exercise.
A sample list of participants is included in Appendix E, and a list of
potential exercise equipment needs is included in Appendix G.
There are two additional ingredients necessary for a successful
exercise program. The first is to ensure that sound safety practices
and principles are designed into the exercise to prevent injuries to
players and the public (e.g., how will the public and bystanders be
handled the day of the exercise). The second is to ensure that key
elected and appointed officials support the exercise, particularly for
multi-community exercises. The team and local officials can promote
good-will and encourage mutual aid support by inviting neighboring
officials to observe the exercise.
15
Exercise Scale Decisions
The team should select the right type of exercise based upon its
experience, needs, and resources. A good strategy may be to start
with a less ambitious exercise (tabletop or functional) and to build
up to a full-scale exercise. This approach builds on exercise
successes, boosts confidence, and gains management support. This
.gradual' approach avoids the frustration of holding a full-scale
exercise as an initial effort and having everything go wrong.
As with the exercise design team, get as many organizations as
possible involved in the exercise. Encourage industry representatives
to be involved from the beginning. When all parties are interested,
the chances of getting industry commitment for a full-scale exercise
are much greater. Consider combining efforts with another response
organization or hold a county-wide exercise to test the ability of a
response organization to request, receive, and utilize resources from
other jurisdictions.
In addition to joining efforts with neighboring response
organization(s) or counties, solicit exercise support from mutual aid
groups. Use this group to share resources and identify people with
training and exercise experience -- include them on the exercise
design review team. Increase the complexity of the exercise
commensurate with the number of participants.
Selection of Exercise Objectives
Regardless of the type of exercise (i.e., tabletop, functional,
full-scale), objectives give an exercise focus. To assist in
establishing exercise objectives, the team should conduct a needs
assessment to identify areas that have not been previously tested or
need improvement based upon previous exercises. Once the needs
assessment is completed, the exercise objectives for each major
participating response organization can be defined.
For example, FEMA has developed the Hazardous Materials Exercise
Evaluation Methodology (HM-EEM) and Manual which consists of 15 major
hazardous materials exercise objectives that are linked to specific
emergency functions drawn from guidance contained in NRT-1. Each
objective is specific, realistic, results-oriented, and measurable.
Appendix A lists the 15 Hazardous Materials Exercise Evaluation
Methodology Objectives. These objectives may be utilized in the
design, conduct, and evaluation of a hazardous materials exercise.
In addition to Appendix A, Chapter V, Learning From the Experiences
of Others, provides a summary of lessons learned from a large number
of exercises conducted throughout the country in recent years. These
lessons can be particularly useful in selecting additional exercise
objectives, developing scenarios, and evaluating exercises.
Exercise Scenario Development
After selecting the exercise objectives, the next step is to
develop an exercise scenario. An exercise scenario is a sequential,
narrative account of a hypothetical accident. The scenario provides
the catalyst for the exercise and is intended to introduce situations
which will inspire responses, and thus allow testing of the exercise
objectives. Most scenarios are initiated with an accident resulting
in a release of, or the potential for a release of, a hazardous
material. Sample scenarios and sequences of events for a tabletop and
full-scale exercise are included in Appendix C and Appendix D.
For example, one scenario might entail an incident at a chemical
manufacturing facility which results in the release of chlorine. The
scenario would include a description of where, what, and when it
occurred, the area
16
affected, weather conditions, etc. The scenario would also include
clearly defined, preplanned times of the various stages of the
accident; that is, what scenario events should occur to get agencies
to carry out response actions.
These scenario events are often communicated via a control message.
The control message describes the problems which prompt an agency to
take action. One example of a preplanned control message may be that
the chlorine valve can not be shut-off. The response action would be
to utilize a "C Kit" and trained response personnel to stop the
release until further repairs can be made to the valve. Another
example of a preplanned control message may be that a train is
scheduled to pick up some railcars at the chemical plant. The
response action would be to notify the railroad and advise them not to
come into the plant because of the accident.
The team might consider varying the exercise by using a
transportation incident in lieu of a fixed facility incident. This
type of incident involves many different facets of first response,
such as identifying the chemicals involved from placards and/or
shipping papers (manifests) and contacting the shipper and carrier for
more information and support.
A realistic exercise scenario provides the best opportunity for a
response organization to evaluate its emergency plan, training, and
overall preparedness to operate under emergency conditions. There are
several ways to incorporate realism into an exercise scenario.
One way to develop a realistic scenario is to evaluate real
incidents and consider incorporating this real-world information into
an exercise scenario. A great deal can be learned by reviewing case
histories of incidents and accidents that have occurred across the
country. For case history information, consider contacting the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Association of American
Railroads (AAR), and/or the Chemical Manufacturers Association (CMA).
For further information, see Chapter VI, Tapping Additional Resources.
Another way to provide a realistic exercise scenario is to develop
and use props and other simulation materials to the extent possible.
Because of the lack of genuine physical cues (e.g., visible vapors or
leaking liquids), it can be difficult to exercise field teams. Dry
ice or smoke bombs are commonly used to simulate a hazardous material.
Above all, think safety first when simulating hazardous materials.
Determine before the exercise whether field kits for environmental
monitoring will be fully stocked for demonstration purposes or if only
some of the more fragile equipment or expensive supplies will be
simulated.
Use realistic weather conditions in the scenario, but not
necessarily the actual weather on the day of the exercise. Simulated
weather is usually best for driving the desired protective actions --
you can plan what areas will need to be 'sheltered in-place' or
'evacuated' in the exercise. Real weather is usually best only for
testing weather instruments and communications with weather agencies.
Develop exercise scenarios that include moulaged victims that must
be rescued and given medical attention. This type of scenario
requires responders to instruct rescue vehicles (ambulance,
helicopters) via radio, as to the nature and extent of the victim's
injuries and whether it is necessary to change the route or landing
site to avoid a hazardous chemical plume.
Design the exercise scenario so that requirements for protective
actions are not predictable. One problem observed in some exercises
is that scenarios virtually always progress to an evacuation of some
area. When players are able to anticipate such a result, the exercise
effectively limits the need to utilize the protective action decision
making process. In hazardous materials incidents, especially where
evacuation is sometimes the WRONG decision, the exercise scenario
should not be predisposed to require or prompt an evacuation decision,
but should leave open the option of sheltering in-place. Determine
which protective actions will be demonstrated
17
and which will be simulated. Consider demonstrating parts of these
actions during the exercise, perhaps by staffing some traffic control
points or running some of the evacuation bus routes.
Design the scenario so that law enforcement personnel demonstrate
the decision making process for traffic management strategies. The
actual exercising of traffic control points is seldom required because
it is a normal part of a police officer's job, but a representative
number of traffic control points should be demonstrated to evaluate
implementation times, communications capabilities, response personnel
safety measures, and whether police officers are knowledgeable about
their traffic (routing) and access control responsibilities (e.g., who
may be admitted to an evacuated area).
Consider building in a communications failure into the exercise
scenario so that the backup system is tested, not merely simulated or
explained during the exercise.
Exercise Evaluation
The extent and depth of the evaluation is based on the
participating response organization's needs and resources, plus any
State and Federal technical assistance available. Controllers'
evaluations and observations may suffice for many exercises, while
additional assessment by trained evaluators may be needed for others.
One method of evaluation is to use related criteria or standards of
performance. These standards of performance, agreed to before the
exercise, are based upon observable response measures which must be
performed to meet each objective. It is more useful for a response
organization to receive an objective-based evaluation to know that a
particular task was or was not performed and that it was or was not
consistent with the plan, rather than a subjective judgment based
solely upon an evaluator's opinion of "how well" an overall function
was accomplished. Opinions are important, but they should be based
upon specific observations and facts.
Another way of evaluating an exercise is to use evaluation
techniques, such as FEMA's Hazardous Materials Exercise Evaluation
Methodology Evaluation (HM-EEM) and Manual, described above. It can
be beneficial to use the HM-EEM Manual in advance of the exercise to
define the scope of each objective. In some cases, evaluators may
require training on the exercise evaluation technique in advance of
the exercise.
When possible, ensure that evaluators are trained, technically
qualified to observe hazardous materials response activities, and
experienced at evaluation of emergency response activities. Using
qualified evaluators in technical areas (e.g., chemical
characteristics, impacts) and/or evaluators experienced in evaluation
can result in an objective and useful evaluation. If trained
evaluators are not available locally, the response organization can
gain its own evaluation experience by participating in a neighboring
response organization's exercise, or by requesting help from State
and/or Federal agencies. These agencies may be able to provide
assistance in locating trained evaluators, providing evaluators, or
training local evaluators.
Training and Exercising
Some extra training, shortly before the exercise, enhances a
response organization's performance and is particularly useful for
communities inexperienced in exercising. As a general rule-of-thumb,
however, training should be conducted throughout the year, not just as
a concentrated effort before the exercise.
Pre-exercise training might include communications training for all
players involved in response activities so they can become familiar
with equipment and proper protocol for exercises. This will help to
eliminate a major problem experienced in many exercises.
18
The team should make arrangements to use a specifically identified
radio channel on the day of the exercise. Begin and end each
communication with "This is an exercise," because many people
monitoring emergency radio channels may mistake the messages for a
real incident. Everyone must know it is an exercise. Develop a fail
safe mechanism or code (i.e., Code "red") to indicate when to
immediately end an exercise for safety reasons or for a real
emergency. Real emergencies take precedence over an exercise.
Final Preparations
Once a community has an emergency plan in place and the advance
exercise planning activities are completed, the next steps are to fine
tune the scenario, stage and set-up the site and equipment, and to
finalize logistical and coordination aspects of the exercise.
For example, shortly before the exercise, the team should conduct
an orientation seminar (often called a pre-exercise meeting) to inform
players of last-minute changes, and to review roles, responsibilities,
and objectives. Players are instructed on the extent of exercise
"play" expected from them during the exercise -- what can and cannot
be simulated. Often, in exercises, responders say "In an actual
emergency I would have done this, but this is only an exercise." Make
the exercise a worthwhile training experience by ensuring that all
involved understand their roles.
The orientation seminar or pre-exercise meeting is a convenient
time to distribute badges to all exercise personnel. These badges can
be used to identify players, controllers, evaluators, and observers.
The use of badges minimizes confusion about who may insert control
messages, and identifies personnel to one another, maintaining the
integrity of the exercise/evaluation process. Badges will work in
only limited situations, however-primarily tabletop exercises. In
functional and full-scale exercises, something readily visible and
distinctive should be used (colored hats, t-shirts, etc.)
It is important to note that the amount of last minute activities
will increase proportionately with the scope of the exercise. Thus,
final preparations for a tabletop exercise will require less effort
than those required for a full-scale exercise. Consequently,
appropriate time and resources should be allowed to complete the
critical last-minute, activities.
EXERCISE CONDUCT
Advance planning sets the stage for the smooth conduct of an
exercise. A sample exercise planning checklist is located in Appendix
F. It may be useful for the team director to refer to this before the
exercise is initiated. The team director must assume responsibility
for the conduct of the exercise to ensure that the exercise stays on
track and thus, the agreed upon objectives are tested. The team
director's job is to:
- Present the players with the exercise-initiating narrative.
- Announce the first event of the scenario.
- Stimulate player responses, without intervening in a way that
assumes control of the play, unless it appears likely that the
players will not initiate a response action critical to the
objective(s) of the exercise.
- Manage the flow and pace of the exercise by introducing the
remaining events in sequence through the use of control
messages.
19
- Keep the exercise on schedule and terminate play at the
specified end-time.
In general, it is best to let the exercise play develop naturally,
with the players responding to the scenario events as they deem
appropriate. Some response actions are so critical to the completion
of the exercise objectives, however, that the exercise director and/or
controllers may have to intervene in exercise play by interjecting
additional response-stimulating messages in order to ensure that such
responses occur. If intervention is necessary, it should be noted and
discussed during the exercise evaluation.
POST-EXERCISE ACTIVITIES
There are numerous activities which should be conducted after an
exercise. These activities include: the Evaluation Process, Exercise
Feedback, and Follow-up.
Evaluation Process
Exercise evaluation is the systematic examination of the
effectiveness of the emergency preparedness program. It provides
decision makers with justification for improving the emergency plan or
providing additional training.
Evaluation activities are ongoing throughout the exercise as
evaluators record data and observations and make tentative judgments.
One important post-exercise activity is a post-exercise debriefing in
which facts and findings are presented, compared, and discussed by and
among evaluators, players, and controllers, and conclusions are
provided to exercise players. Tentative conclusions are generally
provided shortly after the exercise and final conclusions are often
provided later in a formal written report.
The exercise evaluation should address each exercise objective:
- Was the objective met?
- If yes, what were the results?
- If no, what changes are necessary to achieve the objective?
The most successful exercise is not one where all went well and
participants walked away thinking "aren't we great?" Rather, the
successful exercise is one that forces an honest look at capabilities
and leads to improvement.
Exercise evaluation answers such important questions as:
- Are additional resources necessary?
- Are parts of the plan in need of revision?
- Is additional training required?
- Are staffing levels adequate?
- Is the communication system vulnerable to overload?
20
- Can first response units communicate with one another?
Exercise Feedback
In addition to exercise evaluation, other post-exercise activities
may include having exercise players complete an evaluation
questionnaire. This will produce information about the exercise,
particularly the effectiveness of the plans and emergency response to
the exercise scenario. Other post-exercise activities may include:
- Arranging for feedback mechanisms (e.g., participant
debriefings, oral critiques, or a brief or comprehensive
exercise evaluation report) to provide participants with an
indication of opportunities for improvement in their plans and
performance.
- Scheduling a follow-up exercise to test corrected deficiencies
from previous exercises and to validate response under more
complex situations and increased agency involvement.
- Arranging for newspaper accounts of the exercise to enlighten
the public about the risk from hazardous materials and local
efforts to respond to any incidents.
- Making concrete recommendations for resolving problems and
improving procedures (additional practice, training, staffing,
equipment). Re-plan, re-train, and re-exercise where objectives
were not fully met.
Follow-up
Of particular importance is"following-up" on the exercise
evaluation recommendations. Recommendations without follow-up would
limit the response organizations from receiving the full benefit of
the exercise. The follow-up is one of the most neglected areas of
exercise development. Experts suggest the following techniques to
ensure that follow-up occurs:
1. Use the exercise to establish goals for a long term preparedness
program that includes exercises.
2. Assign tasks, a schedule, and the responsibility for recommended
improvement.
3. Monitor the progress of implementing recommended improvements.
4. Test improvements during the next exercise.
Reconvene the original exercise design team following an exercise
to determine what follow-up activity is necessary.
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V. LEARNING FROM THE EXPERIENCES OF OTHERS
Over the past decades literally thousands of emergency exercises of
varying scope have been conducted and evaluated by various communities
and levels of government in order to test emergency plans. As a
result of those exercises, such as those conducted under FEMA's
Radiological Emergency Preparedness Program (REP), RRT/OSC exercises,
actual hazardous materials incidents, and hazardous materials
exercises and drills, many valuable lessons have been learned. This
section utilizes many of the lessons learned from various exercises
and provides a set of helpful hints for conducting effective hazardous
materials exercises. Clearly, these lessons can transfer to hazardous
materials exercises as well as plan development and review. For
example, these lessons can be particularly useful in selecting
exercise objectives, establishing requirements for demonstrating
objectives, developing exercise scenarios, and evaluating exercises.
The helpful hints based upon these lessons learned are categorized
according to their relation to the following specific response
functions identified in NRT-1, Hazardous Materials Emergency Planning
Guide, March 1987 (pages 37-38):
Initial Notification of Response Agencies
- Direction and Control
- Communications - Responder
- Warning Systems and Emergency Public Notification
- Public Information/Community Relations
- Resource Management
- Health and Medical Services
- Response Personnel Safety
- Personal Protection of Citizens
- Fire and Rescue
- Law Enforcement
- Ongoing Incident Assessment
- Human Services
- Public Works
- Others - Hazardous Materials Identification and Analysis
Some of the activities suggested in the following helpful hints for
exercises may require new plans or procedures to be developed, if
they are not already in place, prior to the exercise. If so, all
participates in the emergency response system should be fully
briefed and instructed on new plans and procedures prior to the
exercise. In addition, some of these suggestions are more likely
to be used for a full-scale exercise than a tabletop or functional
exercise.
23
INITIAL NOTIFICATION OF RESPONSE AGENCIES
- Verify the ability to detect and declare an emergency at the
facility site or location of a transportation accident. This
should be demonstrated by the hazardous materials facility
management, transportation vehicle operator, and/or first
arriving local responder(s) (e.g., police, fire).
- Contact the National Response Center (NRC) and the local
emergency response organization (e.g., police or fire department
dispatcher) in a timely manner once an emergency has been
detected or declared. This contact can be made by the hazardous
materials facility management, transportation vehicle operator,
and/or local responder. Emergencies involving releases of
reportable quantities of hazardous materials must, under federal
law, be reported by the responsible party to the NRC.
- Notify each agency involved in the response effort. By making
actual calls, a community can demonstrate that all required
notifications can be made in a reasonable period of time.
Simulating this may not give a true picture of the time needed
to complete the initial notification. Give special attention to
verifying the accuracy of listed phone numbers and to testing
alternate numbers of contact points, even if the primary number
is answered.
- Use pagers for notifying key, mobile personnel who are difficult
to reach by phone.
- Use checklists to ensure that all necessary personnel are
contacted.
DIRECTION AND CONTROL
- Establish a clear understanding of areas of responsibility for
initial emergency response between the hazardous materials
facility or transportation management and off-site officials.
The facility, because of possibly greater resources and
technical knowledge, may need to take some responsibility for
offsite actions at the beginning of exercises and real events
(e.g., field team monitoring of a toxic cloud).
- Implement the Incident Command System (ICS), which is now
required under an Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA) final rule (29 Code of Federal Regulations
1910.123[a][3]. An ICS is a combination of personnel, policies,
procedures, and equipment working together within a common
organizational structure with responsibility for management of
assigned resources to effectively accomplish stated objectives
at the scene of an accident. An ICS can be used to effectively
manage minor incidents such as an automobile accident as well as
major disasters. Experience has shown that an agency which uses
ICS for day-to-day operations will be better prepared to handle
major situations. For more information, contact the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Division of
Consumer Affairs, Room N-3647, 200 Constitution Avenue N.W.,
Washington, D.C. 20210, 202/523-8151.
- Ensure that the official designated in the local plan to take
charge of an emergency response effort actually assumes control
during the exercise. Don't short change the exercise by passing
this responsibility off to a staff member. If the official must
leave, only a specified alternate should perform the official's
assigned tasks.
- Strive to get all agencies and organizations to participate.
Exercise coordinators should put forth considerable effort to
ensure that all critical agencies and organizations participate
in exercise play. Nothing is more frustrating for local
emergency response personnel than to have key representatives
missing during an exercise.
24
- Incorporate 24-hour staffing and an actual shift change for key
positions as part of an exercise. The area of direction and
control is often the weakest with respect to 24-hour staffing.
The primary (first shift) emergency response coordinator is
usually quite competent, but the backup is less often capable of
functioning without direct supervision or assistance.
- Do not activate the command posts or emergency operating center
(EOC) ahead of the exercise. This pre-positioning can pose an
obstacle in observing whether the EOC can be activated in a
timely manner. An exception to this, of course, is when the
community has a full-time, dedicated EOC available. Make sure
all EOC staff have been trained in EOC operations.
COMMUNICATIONS - RESPONDER
- Utilize both primary and backup communications links during the
exercise. Common communication problems observed during
exercises include the number of different radio frequencies and
the lack of a common channel for coordination of response
efforts.
- Secure a commitment from the lead communications person at each
facility to save copies of all communications-related
documentation including message and radio logs. If such
facilities do not currently use logs, adding them and procedures
for their use should be considered. Such logs can be especially
valuable in a later determination of where things went wrong
during an exercise. Radio logs maintained by local agencies may
contain sensitive information about actual agency business and
may not be available for release. To overcome this potential
problem, communications personnel need to keep a separate
exercise communications log.
WARNING SYSTEMS AND EMERGENCY PUBLIC NOTIFICATION
- Schedule exercises to coincide with the routine test of public
alerting systems. Such scheduling will minimize undue public
concern (e.g., siren testing). If this is not possible,
emergency response personnel should proceed with their normal
procedure up to the point where the public alert system would
actually be sounded. Evaluators will want to pay particular
attention to the actual amount of time required to complete the
activation process to determine if normal staffing can manage
the activation process in addition to their day-to-day duties.
- Draft emergency broadcast system (EBS) messages as if they were
to be read on the system. To determine whether the message is
readable, ask participating radio stations to read all EBS
messages associated with the exercise into a tape recorder in
real-time according to the scenario. The tape can then be
reviewed to verify validity of the message content that would
actually have reached the public in the event of a real
incident.
- Perform route alerting if it is intended to be the emergency
warning system. To realistically assess the amount of time
route alerting would take, read messages while driving slowly,
knock on doors, and deliver the emergency instruction message.
Responders should make a special point of identifying persons
with special needs and simulate alerting them. Again, carefully
review message content and clarity. If the area is largely non-
English speaking, the message should be in both English and the
dominant language of the area.
- Use existing emergency warning systems during hazardous
materials exercises. If the area has an existing coastal storm
warning or some other system, use that system, if possible, for
hazardous materials incidents.
25
- Ensure that all announcements about on-site (e.g., at a chemical
facility) protective measures include the information necessary
for employees to implement them. This includes information on
sheltering in-place as well as evacuation. Include information
about wind direction, specific routes to follow to avoid the
toxic cloud (plume), and specific assembly area.
- Use aspects of the warning system which are not routinely
checked. Exercises should focus on aspects of the system unique
to the emergency in the scenario (e.g., finding and using the
right prescripted or pre-recorded messages, or writing and
transmitting customized messages).
PUBLIC INFORMATION/COMMUNITY RELATIONS
- Treat media relations as realistically as possible during an
exercise to adequately prepare for a real emergency. For
example, actually set up a Joint Information Center (JIC)- a
central location where actual media briefings and press
conferences are held. A JIC helps eliminate the potential for
conflicting news reports and helps control rumors. Provisions
should be made to monitor TV and radio broadcasts to quickly
correct erroneous information. Invite actual media
representatives and other players primed to ask realistic, tough
questions.
- Coordinate public information releases. This is particularly
important given the large number of agencies involved and the
relatively short time available for release. During an
exercise, make sure all forms and releases are marked 'This is
an exercise.'
- If the emergency plan calls for the use of a "citizen's
information hotline," include the emergency telephone number in
every news release, mention it at every news briefing, and
display it prominently in the media room for television. This
is one way to avoid rumors.
- Practice answering the "citizen's information hotline" with
correct responses to inquiries. Calls from the media, insofar
as possible, should be handled by the Public Information Officer
(PIO) to ensure accurate information.
- Assign a full-time PIO to supervise the operators. This PIO
supervisor should attend each news briefing to ensure up-to-date
information is provided from the "hotline."
- Consider video-recording news conferences. This will be useful
backup for post-exercise reference.
- Ensure that news releases and conferences are timely and
accurately reflect information in the scenario as well as
exercise events (protective action decisions, etc.).
- Ensure that news releases are clearly written. Do not expect
the media to interpret highly technical information and then
pass this information on to the public with a minimum of
distortion.
- Explain and define terms and acronyms unique to emergency
planning and response as well as terms related to different
modes of transportation (e.g., piggyback, tankcar, boxcar,
tanktruck etc.) and manufacturers or distributors of chemical
products. Be careful to fully explain this terminology when it
is used during briefings.
- Explain characteristics and hazards associated with the present
emergency and the released materials. Use simple language
easily understandable by the public.
- Make full use of the visual aids provided in the briefing area
during the entire emergency exercise. This will enhance the
briefing and result in a clear presentation.
26
- Provide to the media as soon as possible, accurate information
about any injuries sustained by personnel at the incident and
detailed accounts of the emergency response activities, reducing
the likelihood of misunderstandings and inaccurate reporting.
- Use an effective leader to coordinate and integrate the
information received by the spokespersons from each agency to
ensure that accurate and comprehensive information is being
released.
- Ensure that all sources of public information given out during
the exercise are consistent with information previously
distributed (e.g., information distributed via telephone books,
hotel information cards, brochures, local media).
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
- Confirm that all of the needed resources are actually available.
It is often impractical and too costly in an exercise to
mobilize all the actual resources that would be needed in a real
emergency. So, when resources are needed, place actual calls to
the providers of those resources; request the simulated
provision and the actual numbers needed. Actually placing these
calls provides emergency planners with an opportunity to verify
that resource inventories are accurate and up to date.
- Keep logs of all requests, by both the requesters and providers,
to verify that all needs are met, and that each provider
actually has available the numbers of resources requested from
him. This may involve MOUs with adjacent communities, counties,
industry, and/or regional response organizations with
facilities, equipment, and personnel having useful expertise.
HEALTH AND MEDICAL SERVICES
- Control the spread of contamination to ambulance and hospital
staff when treating contaminated patients. Although written
procedures may be in place, actual demonstration of these
procedures during an exercise will point out if further training
is needed or if procedures should be revised.
- Place actual telephone calls to the providers of health and
medical services, even if only a small sample will be
demonstrated during the exercise. These calls may be conducted
out of sequence from the rest of the exercise, often in
coordination with routine medical facility drills or exercises.
- Determine whether medical facilities know how to obtain and use
necessary medical and other data for diagnosing and treating
victims exposed to hazardous materials. Many local hospitals
will not be able to treat such exposed victims without
consultation with medical experts from other parts of the State
or country.
- Ensure that contaminated victims are appropriately
decontaminated in the field or at the medical facility as
needed.
- Test procedures for providing hospitals with information on the
number of victims, types of injuries and contamination involved,
and estimated time of arrivals (ETAs) of emergency vehicles to
allow adequate preparation by the hospitals. This information
can be relayed from the emergency vehicle to the hospital.
- Utilize Poison Control Centers as another source of health
hazard, diagnostic, and treatment information and as a
dissemination point for information to the general public.
Exercise design should test the ability of on-scene personnel to
communicate with the Center and vice-versa.
27
- Consider testing use of color-coded triage tags (green - patient
can wait; yellow -patient needs hospital attention, but, injury
is not life threatening; red - patient needs immediate care,
injury is life threatening; black - patient is beyond help or
dead).
- Protect medical personnel from exposure to high concentrations
of hazardous materials because of vaporization from contaminated
clothing of victims in enclosed spaces such as ambulances or
treatment rooms. For example, demonstrate providing personal
protective equipment to medical personnel caring for victims in
the ambulance. Medical personnel need to be familiar with and
able to work in various levels of protection as needed.
Consider the use of materials that are very odorous but safe to
simulate actual hazardous materials.
RESPONSE PERSONNEL SAFETY
- In compliance with applicable OSHA regulations, it is the
responsibility of employers to ensure that sound safety
principles and practices are followed during the exercise to
prevent injuries to participants. The Bibliography at the end
of this report lists additional sources of safety information.
- Verify a working knowledge of the potential hazards of the
hazardous material(s) involved in the simulated incident.
Emergency responders frequently receive training on the proper
use of their protective clothing, but may fail to demonstrate a
working knowledge of the potential hazards they face.
- Question emergency responders about the type of protective
clothing worn, its applicability to the chemical released in the
exercise scenario, and any short- or long-term risks associated
with exposure to that particular chemical.
- Issue protective equipment to each responder who needs it.
Issuing the equipment will help verify that supplies are
adequate and represent the time required to deploy responders
into the "hot" zone.
- Simulate the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) to
prevent the danger of evoking heat stress conditions in an
exercise. At a minimum, try on the suits for fit, to test
proper donning procedures, and to detect any defects in
garments.
- Conduct personnel monitoring and decontamination activities as
near as possible to the access control point and away from the
incident site. If the area is located at a considerable
distance from showers, demonstrate the use of a mobile washdown
facility (e.g., tanker truck or hazardous materials response van
with portable showers and eyewash capabilities).
- Institute a warning system for emergency evacuation of
responders in the hazard zone. For example, SOPs might call for
an emergency warning system (e.g., a 30-second blast from an air
horn or electronic siren to signal operating teams to exit the
hazard zone immediately) to be in place in case communication
fails between command and the operating teams and a critical
situation develops. Apparatus should be positioned so that the
signal can be heard throughout the hazard area.
- Check the progress of response actions during the exercise.
After implementing the best option, the response leader (e.g.,
Incident Commander) must be sure what is expected to happen is
actually happening (or simulated as happening in the exercise
scenario or controller messages). If not, he/she must review
the real or simulated problem and select another option to lead
to the desired objective.
- Monitor the use of field equipment and materials during the
response. Ensure that adequate replacements and backups are
available for portable air packs, washdown water (e.g., for
portable
28
emergency showers and eyewash devices), electricity,
neutralizers, sorbents, and expendable equipment.
PERSONAL PROTECTION OF CITIZENS
- Ensure that sound safety principles and practices are followed
during the exercise to prevent injuries to the public. The
Bibliography at the end of this report lists additional sources
of safety information.
- Test the local emergency responder's ability to resolve problems
that are likely to arise while protective actions are being
implemented. For example, have people call the EOC and request
special transportation assistance.
- Consider the time of day, season of the year, transient
populations, and traffic conditions when discussing potential
protective actions. Any decision made should be based upon
incident assessment information rather than an ad hoc reason to
act.
- Test the coordination between incident command personnel and
school officials on any decisions to release students early or
to evacuate the school. School evacuation has, for many
communities, been an action that has come under intense
scrutiny. As a result of this increased attention, officials
may elect to evacuate the schools prior to a recommendation to
do so. In hazardous materials incidents, such action may expose
students to a greater risk than a decision to shelter in-place.
FIRE AND RESCUE
- Develop procedures to ensure a timely arrival at and entry into
a fixed facility or scene of a transportation related incident
by appropriate local emergency responders such as fire, police,
and emergency medical services personnel.
- Challenge response personnel by having them demonstrate
functions that are unique to hazardous materials incidents.
Rather than engaging in routine functions, consider
demonstrating: recognizing and identifying hazardous materials
from shipping papers, identification numbers, labels, placards,
and the shape and type of transport package (e.g., tankcar,
cylinder, drum); victim decontamination; assessing injuries
caused by a hazardous material and giving emergency medical
treatment; using chemical sensing and neutralization equipment
and materials.
- Require emergency responders to demonstrate proper procedures
for decontamination of victims exposed to hazardous materials.
- Verify that emergency responders are able to communicate with
other responders while wearing protective equipment; using a
portable radio, headset, or cellular telephone.
- Test procedures and arrangements for necessary air supplies to
ensure that air supplies can be augmented or recovered quickly
during a lengthy incident.
LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Verify how protective equipment and supplies are provided to law
enforcement personnel, as well as their effective use of these
materials. Although state police are in charge of hazardous
materials emergency responses in some states, local law
enforcement personnel are often overlooked as emergency
responders and need resources and training to enhance their
response capabilities.
29
- Inform law enforcement personnel about the current incident
status and recommended protective action. They have frequent
contact with the public during hazardous materials incidents and
are often asked for current information about the situation,
protective action recommendations, and where the public might
turn for more information (EBS stations, "hotline" numbers,
etc.).
ONGOING INCIDENT ASSESSMENT
- Ensure adequate quantities of expendable field supplies such as
portable air supplies, air or water sample containers, chemical
monitoring equipment, etc. This precludes premature termination
of monitoring or reduction in field capability.
- Provide for varying assignments of responsibility for incident
assessment. For example, early in the exercise, a fixed
facility simulating a hazardous materials emergency may
demonstrate both on-site and off-site tracking of toxic cloud
size, contents, and movement. Later, off-site activities will
be taken over by local or State emergency responders. In a
transportation exercise, the carrier may demonstrate initial
assessment of the damage to a dented tank truck or railroad
tankcar, and then call in experts for example, an inspector from
the Bureau of Explosives of the Association of American
Railroads.
- Confirm that field equipment (such as air sampling devices) is
currently calibrated and certified as accurate. Establish
procedures to assure this is done on a routine, periodic basis,
and not just for the exercise.
- Confirm that designated team leaders are responsible for
directing field team operations. Each team member should have
clearly defined duties.
- Brief teams, prior to deployment, on the nature of the incident,
the chemical(s) released, and meteorological information.
Remind team members of team and individual duties as well as all
safety procedures.
- Test procedures calling for instruments and communications to be
checked prior to deployment. This precludes having to return to
the site to replace the equipment once the team has deployed to
the incident.
HUMAN SERVICES
- Make allowances for previous work commitments that may prevent
full participation of volunteers in a exercise. All key
positions must be filled by primary or alternate staff.
- Challenge agencies responsible for mass care by having them
demonstrate their capability to provide health for citizens with
special needs (e.g., people in wheelchairs).
30
PUBLIC WORKS
- Include public works personnel in an exercise. Generally, they
are called upon to furnish equipment, materials, and personnel
(e.g., for diking of spilled chemicals) to aid in mitigating a
hazardous materials incident. While they are quite experienced
in routine duties, they may lack the special training needed
during hazardous materials incidents (e.g., protective
equipment, hazard awareness). Many of the suggestions found
under INITIAL NOTIFICATION OF RESPONSE AGENCIES, DIRECTION AND
CONTROL, and WARNING SYSTEMS AND EMERGENCY PUBLIC NOTIFICATION
response functions also apply, especially since Public Works is
often not thought of as an "emergency response" agency.
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS IDENTIFICATION AND ANALYSIS
- Identify and determine the characteristics and risks of the
hazardous materials(s) involved in the exercise. Once the
hazardous material and its form (e.g., liquid, gas, or solid) is
identified using a material safety data sheets (MSDS), shipping
papers, waybills, identification numbers, labels, placards, and
the shape and type of shipping package (e.g., tankcar, cylinder,
drum), its risks should be studied and analyzed using emergency
response guidebooks and other technical references. This skill
is particularly important for transportation accidents, which
are more unpredictable than incidents at fixed facilities which
use the same hazardous materials. The U.S. Department of
Transportation's "Emergency Response Guidebook' (1990) and the
Association of American Railroads', "Emergency Handling of
Hazardous Materials in Surface Transportation" (1989) and
"Emergency Action Guides' (1984, with supplements up to and
including 1990) are useful guidebooks for aiding first
responders in identifying the hazardous material, analyzing its
hazards, and establishing an effective course of action.
- Contact manufacturers of the hazardous material(s) involved and
appropriate industry organizations and services for information
and help in hazard identification and analysis. Contacting the
manufacturer of the hazardous materials can provide the most
useful information. Industry services such as the Chemical
Manufacturers Association's Chemical Transportation Emergency
Center (CHEMTREC) can also provide initial response and medical
information and assistance in contacting the manufacturer,
transporters, and shippers. The number for CHEMTREC is 1-800-
424-9300.
- Demonstrate the use of CAMEO II or other computer tools to
assess the situation and their use in managing the response.
31
VI. TAPPING ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
In preparing for a hazardous materials exercise, a response
organization utilizes its own resources and may also look for
resources that may be available through mutual aid agreements.
Additionally, the response organization might consider tapping
resources from the State government, Federal government, and the
private sector.
State and Federal agencies have been conducting emergency exercises
over the years as a prudent course of action for ensuring emergency
preparedness to deal with catastrophic situations. Private sector
companies are increasingly holding exercises at facility sites to test
their response procedures and safety systems. As a result, a good
deal of 'outside" expertise may be available for supporting a local
exercise. At the State level, the SERC would be an obvious point of
contact. Other State agencies that may be of assistance include the
State emergency management office, environmental health agency, and
transportation agency.
A response organization can also access a variety of Federal
resources and technical assistance to support its exercise. Resources
include pre-scripted scenarios, a computer exercise generator that
allows a scenario to be tailored to local circumstances, training
courses that incorporate exercises, and written guidance on conducting
exercises. Also available are specialists who can assist in exercise
design and evaluation, videotapes, incident data that can be used to
develop an exercise, and computer software for modeling chemical
spills, plume movement, effectiveness of in-place sheltering, and
movement of evacuation traffic. These models can be used for
planning, developing exercise scenarios, helping to make protective
action decisions, and measuring the effectiveness of protective
actions. A number of Federal agencies in sponsoring their own
exercises, actively encourage State and local participation.
Table 3 provides a summary of the resources available from Federal
agencies. Following Table 3 is more detailed information on available
Federal agency resources. Depending upon the type of resource
required, local officials may contact a Federal agency directly or
contact the Regional Response Team (RRT) which is composed of Federal
agencies and State RRT representatives. The State RRT representative
is the most direct conduit for obtaining RRT support. It is strongly
recommended that a response organization seeking substantial Federal
assistance and support coordinate any requests through the State.
Many States have resources that could be used to complement or
supplement Federal resources. Start by contacting the SERC, State
agencies, and Federal Regional Offices.
33
TABLE 3: FEDERAL RESOURCES
AGENCYa
DOT DHHS DOC
FEMA EPA USCG RSPA ATSDR NOAA DOD
RESOURCE
Pre-scripted
Scenarios HR
Computer Exercise
Generator HR
Computer Resource
Tools' HR HR HR HR R
Computer-Based
Modeling HR H R
Exercise Training
Courses HR HR
Written Guidance
HR HR
Exercise Specialists/
Evaluators HR R R H
Videotapes HR HR
Incident Data H H
Exercise Sponsorship
HR R R H
HMIXb HR HR HR H
H = Headquarters R = Regional Offices or Districts
a See list of acronyms on page 51.
b See discussions of appropriate Federal agency's resources listed
below (i.e., CAMEO, IEMIS, CADET).
FEDERAL AGENCY RESOURCES
National Response System
The National Response System was created under the authority of the
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act
of 1980 (CERCLA) which required the development of the National Oil
and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (commonly known as
the National Contingency Plan or NCP). The purpose of the plan is to
provide the Federal organizational structure and procedures for
preparing for and responding to discharges of oil and releases of
hazardous substances. The plan establishes three organizational
levels: the National Response Team (NRT), Regional Response Teams
(RRTs), and OnScene Coordinators (OSCs).
34
NRT - A national planning, policy, and coordinating body consisting
of 14 Federal agencies with interests and expertise in emergency
response to oil discharges and hazardous substance releases.
RRTs - Regional planning, policy, and coordinating bodies located
in the ten Federal regions, the Caribbean, Pacific Oceania, and
Alaska. RRT membership parallels NRT membership with the addition
of a representative from each State in the region. Neither the NRT
nor the RRTs respond directly to incidents although they provide
technical advice to an OSC and have access to resources (e.g.,
equipment) during an incident. Three Joint Response Teams have also
been established to promote international planning and coordination
along our borders with Canada, Mexico, and the USSR.
OSC - A Federal official predesignated by the Environmental
Protection Agency for inland areas and the U.S. Coast Guard for
coastal areas. The OSC coordinates all Federal containment,
removal, and disposal efforts and resources during an incident.
Other Federal agencies, such as the Department of Defense and
Department of Energy, also have designated OSCs for dealing with
any releases from their facilities.
Through the National Response Team and Regional Response Teams
(RRT), Federal agencies are working to combine their exercise
resources, to share information, to broaden exercises to include
hazardous materials scenarios, and to expand exercise involvement to
include all interdisciplinary elements. Each RRT is co-chaired by the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the United States Coast
Guard (USCG). To contact the RRT Co-Chairs, utilize the FEMA-DOT
Hazardous Materials Information Exchange (HMIX) for an up-to-date list
of names, addresses, and telephone numbers.
The NRT, RRTs, and OSCs, together with the National Response Center
(NRC), form the National Response System, which is responsible for the
overall coordination of Federal activities related to oil discharges
and hazardous materials releases. The National Response Center, a
central point for receiving incident notifications and collecting
incident information, provides technical data to support OSCs in
response during an incident.
The National Contingency Plan also establishes requirements for
Federal regional and OSC contingency plans. A regional contingency
plan must be developed by each RRT as a means for coordinating timely,
effective responses by Federal agencies and other organizations to oil
discharges and hazardous substance releases. An OSC contingency plan
may be developed for responses in each OSC's area of responsibility.
OSC contingency plans should be compatible with all appropriate
response plans of State, local, and other non-Federal entities.
- National Response Center
Toll-free telephone number for reporting oil and hazardous
substance releases:
1-800-424-8802
35
FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provides a number of
resources to assist State and local officials in designing,
conducting, and evaluating emergency exercises.
Regional Offices
FEMA Regional Office Hazardous Materials Program Staff members are
available, as time permits, to assist State and local governments in
all aspects of planning, conducting, and evaluating exercises.
Moreover, an Exercise Specialist in each FEMA Regional Office serves
as a focal point for scenario development, pre-exercise training, and
post-exercise evaluation.
FEMA also supports a State Training Officer and an Exercise
Training Officer (ETO) in almost all State Emergency Management
Offices. The ETOs are available to aid local communities by
furnishing materials, planning exercises, conducting pre-exercise
training, evaluating exercises and preparing after-action reports.
Exercise Training Officers meet once a year at FEMA's National
Emergency Training Center in Emmitsburg, MD, to discuss exercise
issues. The Exercise Training Officers are usually responsible for
coordinating the State and Local Exercise Annex (SLE) required under
FEMA's CCA.
Comprehensive Cooperative Agreements (CCA)
FEMA's CCA provides State governments with a single vehicle for
applying for and receiving financial and technical assistance
available under FEMA's grant programs. Under the CCA, participating
State and local jurisdictions receiving FEMA funding are required
under the SLE Annex to develop/update a 4-year exercise maw plan for
validating emergency preparedness and response capabilities. As part
of this plan, one full-scale exercise must be conducted during the 4-
year period and at least a functional exercise is to be undertaken in
each of the remaining 3 years. (FEMA may even give credit for an
actual major emergency and/or disaster in lieu of a functional or
full-scale exercise.)
Exercises must be rotated each year among three primary scenarios -
National Security (NS), Natural Hazard (NH), and Technological Hazard
(TH). Hazardous materials exercises may be accredited as meeting the
Technological Hazard exercise required by the SLE Annex in the CCA.
States are responsible for seeing that roughly 1/3 of the local
communities use one of the three primary scenario types each year.
The aim is to allow a community to exercise all emergency functions
(e.g., direction and control, fire and rescue) related to its major
hazards over a reasonable period of time.
As a result of this 4-year exercise requirement, States are
required to submit annually an exercise schedule for each local
community indicating the proposed major scenario event, the exercise
type, and the quarter for each exercise during the year. After an
exercise has been completed, FEMA Form 95-16, Exercise Data is used
for documenting the purpose of the exercise, hazard scenario, agencies
represented, functions tested, problems encountered, etc. A computer-
generated program is available to States to input FEMA Form 95-16 and
generate various reports. (A copy of the form appears in Appendix B.)
In FY 1989, over 1,300 local exercises included hazardous materials as
the primary incident or as a secondary impact according to the data
base.
If a hazardous materials exercise is not included in the 4-year
plan for a given year as the major scenario event, and there is a
desire to conduct a hazardous materials exercise, consideration should
be given to incorporating a hazardous materials consequence as a
secondary impact in an already scheduled exercise (e.g., flood,
earthquake, national security). A community opting to do this could
thus meet the requirements of FEMA's CCA and at the same time satisfy
any expectations for exercising plans developed under SARA Title
36
Training Resources
FEMA also offers a 4-1/2 day Exercise Design Train-the-Trainer
course to qualify instructors to conduct the course in the field.
Trainers are given an orientation on educational philosophy; exercise
design and methodology; and effective use of the instructor guide,
student manual, and other resource materials. The 3-day field version
of the course provides knowledge and develops skills that will enable
the students to train a staff and to conduct an exercise that will
test a community's plan and operational response capability. Through
the Exercise Design Train-the-Trainer course and other courses, FEMA
delivers some 12-14 classroom exercises each year.
FEMA also offers a training course, "Radiological Emergency
Preparedness Exercise Evaluation," for evaluating commercial nuclear
power plant offsite exercises. Since many aspects of REP planning and
exercises are applicable to hazardous materials, attendance at this
course has some practical utility for hazardous materials planners.
Additionally, FEMA holds periodic earthquake and national security
exercises which involve State/local participation and may include
hazardous materials as a secondary scenario.
The Emergency Education Network (EENET) is FEMA's one-way video,
two-way audio, satellite-distributed system that beams five programs
on emergency management subjects, such as exercising, across the
country. EENET provides live, interactive training and education to
approximately 68,000 emergency managers and a secondary audience of
over 100,000 people.
Computer Resources
FEMA and the Department of Transportation jointly manage the
Hazardous Materials Information Exchange (HMIX) which provides up-to-
date information on Federal hazardous materials training courses
(including courses dealing with exercises), regional public and
private sector hazardous materials activities, upcoming events and
meetings, recent legislation and regulations, and organizational
resources. Information can be accessed through a personal computer
having communications capability or a terminal and modem by dialing
(708) 972-3275. An information systems technician is available to
provide assistance Monday through Friday, 8:30 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.,
Central Time on the toll free line, 1-800-PLANFOR (752-6367); Illinois
residents may dial 1-800-367-9592. A toll free line also provides
access to HMIX 24-Hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-874-2884.
FEMA's National Emergency Training Center has a library of fully
tested exercise scenarios for a broad range of disasters including
hazardous materials. These scenarios may be modified to meet the
special needs of a community. A computerized exercise training design
package known as CADET, Computer Aided Design for Exercise Training,
is also available through FEMA Regional Offices. The computer
software, consisting of 16 floppy discs, is designed to run on IBM-
compatible personal computers. The user selects exercise objectives
and then customizes the program by providing specific names for
rosters, places, etc. The computer generates the complete scenario
including events, printed messages, and evaluation forms.
ARCHIE, the Automated Resource for Chemical Hazard Incident
Evaluation, is a computerized consequence analysis tool for the
DOT/EPA/FEMA developed Handbook of Chemical Hazard Analysis
Procedures. The ARCHIE can be used to generate realistic hazard
scenarios based upon hazard data inputted by the user. This tool and
companion handbook is available from the three producing agencies.
FEMA has developed the Integrated Emergency Management Information
System (lEMIS), a general-purpose, computer-assisted system which can
be directly applied to hazardous materials incidents including support
of exercises and real-time responses. Chemical spills, plume
movement, in-place sheltering, and traffic movement can be simulated
under varying weather conditions. The resulting technical information
can be used for planning, developing exercise scenarios, helping to
make protective action decisions, and measuring the effectiveness of
protective actions.
37
FEMA's Capability and Hazard Identification Program (CHIP) is a
nationwide data base that includes over 3,800 State and local
jurisdictions. Data are available on local hazards, local capability
to deal with those hazards, and plans for addressing capability
shortfalls. The CHIP data can be used to identify areas of weakness
that might be tested in an exercise and/or be used for determining
exercise objectives.
Exercise Programs
As an element of its Hazardous Materials Program, FEMA has
developed the Hazardous Materials Exercise Evaluation Methodology (HM-
EEM) and Manual as a part of its technical assistance to State and
local governments. The document, developed in response to the need
for a standardized and objective-based exercise evaluation tool, is
intended for use by State and local governments in evaluating
hazardous materials exercises conducted to validate emergency plans
and identify opportunities to improve preparedness. The HM-EEM is a
series of modules prepared to evaluate 15 major exercise objectives
(see Appendix A) covered by response plans prepared using the guidance
contained in NRT-1 and CPG 1-8. The HM-EEM may be subdivided into
modules using a matrix that links the objectives to specific emergency
functions or locations. A companion HMEEM Manual defines the exercise
objectives and provides additional detailed information on each
objective to aid in hazardous materials exercise evaluation.
Additionally, a blank timeline is contained within the document to
facilitate in the reconstruction of significant exercise events.
Under its Radiological Emergency Preparedness (REP) Program, FEMA
provides technical assistance to State and local governments for
offsITe radiological emergency planning and exercising around
commercial nuclear power plants. Currently, 71 nuclear power plant
sites are operational in the U.S. involving some 441 local communities
in offsite preparedness within the 10 mile emergency planning zone.
States and local governments are required to participate in a joint
exercise with a commercial nuclear power plant once every two years.
Federal evaluation of these exercises identifies strengths and
inadequacies which the States and local governments are asked to
correct. This process of periodic exercises and corrective actions is
a key to the high level of emergency preparedness around commercial
nuclear power plants which has led many officials to conclude that
communities near a nuclear power plant are among the best prepared to
cope with any type of emergency.
38
For information on these or other resources FEMA has to offer,
contact your FEMA Regional Office.
- Federal Emergency Management Agency
Hazardous Materials Branch
State and Local Programs and Support Directorate
500 C Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20472
202/646-2860
FTS/876-2860
- Federal Emergency Management Agency
National Emergency Training Center
16825 South Seton Avenue
Emmitsburg, MD 21727
301/447-1000
FTS/652-1000
- HAZARDOUS MATERIALS INFORMATION EXCHANGE (HMIX)
Electronic Bulletin Board: 708/972-3275 or FTS/972-3275
Toll-Free Access Number: 1-800-874-2884
Toll-free Assistance Number: 1-800-PLANFOR(1-800-752-6367)
(In Illinois: 1-800-367-9592)
39
REGION I REGION VI
FEMA FEMA
Room 462 Federal Regional Center
J.W. McCormack Post Office 800 North Loop 288
& Courthouse Building Denton, TX 76201-3608
Boston, MA 02109-4595 817/898-9137
617/223-4412 FTS/749-9137
FTS/223-4412
REGION VII
REGION II FEMA
FEMA Room 200
Room 1351 911 Walnut St.
26 Federal Plaza Kansas City, MO 64106
New York, NY 10278, 816/283-7011
212/238-8225 FTS/759-7011
FtS/649-8225
REGION VIII
REGION III FEMA
FEMA Denver Federal Center
Second Floor, Building 710, Box 25267
Liberty Square Building Denver, CO 80225-0267
105 South Seventh St. 303/235-4923
Philadelphia, PA 19106 FTS/322-4923
215/931-5528
FTS/489-5528 REGION IX
FEMA
REGION IV Building 105
FEMA Presidio of San Francisco, CA 94129
Suite 700 415/923-7187
1371 Peachtree St. N.E. FTS/469-7187
Atlanta, GA 30309
404/853-4454 REGION X
FTS/230-4454 FEMA
Federal Regional Center
REGION V 130 228th St., S.W.
FEMA Bothell, WA 98021-9796
Fourth Floor 206/487-4696
175 West Jackson Blvd. FTS/390-4696
Chicago, IL 60604-2698
312/408-5524
FTS/363-5524
40
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) offers a range of
resources and assistance for hazardous materials exercises. EPA
Regional Offices play an integral part in working with State and local
officials to ensure effective exercises are conducted. If a State or
local community intends to exercise a SARA Title III plan, the
Regional Office Chemical Emergency Preparedness and Prevention (CEPP)
Coordinators are available to provide assistance and advice. Two
sources of direct technical assistance in conducting exercises include
the Environmental Response Team (ERT) and contractor support,
particularly from the EPA Technical Assistance Teams (TATs).
EPA's Environmental Response Team (ERT), located in Cincinnati, OH
and Edison, NJ, is a group of highly trained scientists and engineers
having expertise in multimedia sampling and analysis, hazard
evaluation, environmental assessment, and clean-up techniques. The
ERT offers assistance in conducting full-field exercises, coordinating
the effort with EPA Regional Offices. The ERT works with a community
to design a scenario relevant to the local situation and serves as a
facilitator in carrying out the exercise. A debriefing is held on the
day following an exercise which allows participants to evaluate their
roles and to identify areas and gaps in planning activities and
response capabilities which need to be addressed. The ERT, which is
available to provide overall technical support to On-Scene
Coordinators (OSCs) in actual incidents, conducts approximately ten
fullfield exercises a year.
EPA offers a number of training courses in safety and technical
operations related to hazardous materials responses. Known as the
"165 Series,' these courses cover topics such as response safety
decision making, air surveillance for hazardous materials, sampling,
hazard evaluation and environmental risk assessment, and incident
mitigation and treatment methods. Three courses in the 165 series
include response exercises as part of the course content: Personnel
Protection and Safety (165.2), Hazardous Materials Incident Response
Operations (165.5), and Hazardous Materials Response for First
Responders (165.15). These exercises provide students the opportunity
to apply and test the lessons learned during the course in a 'hands-
on" mode, such as using monitoring and sampling equipment to assess
impacts of incidents and determining level of protective clothing
needed to respond safely.
EPA maintains a tape library which includes "The Day Before," a
tape developed by EPA Region VII on steps to consider in developing an
exercise, and videos of previous ERT exercises.
On a bilateral level, EPA is leading efforts of the Joint Response
Team in working with Mexico and Canada to include exercises as part of
joint preparedness activities. Mexican officials participate in
exercises along the U.S.-Mexican border. As a product of these
cooperative efforts, a modified table-top exercise has been recently
developed by Mexico and EPA Region IX. This type of exercise, which
is called "written notification exercise," is especially pertinent in
those communities just beginning an involvement in hazmat planning and
response and to those with limited resources for exercising. The
exercise is conducted in a low-profile, structured, but non-
confrontational manner.
The Computer-Aided Management of Emergency Operations (CAMEO)
system, jointly developed by EPA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), is being used in all types of exercises to
provide information on chemical properties, wind directions, other
meteorological information, plume movement, populations centers at
risk, and other significant information required in an actual event.
(See Department of Commerce/NOAA section of this chapter for a
detailed description of the CAMEO program.)
EPA fully supports interagency exercises and believes that better
use can be made of the limited resources available to all parties
which recognize the value of exercises as part of their preparedness
efforts. Appendix C and Appendix D include "hands-on' information on
scenarios and sequences of events which may be useful in planning and
conducting table-top and full-scale exercises. Appendix E contains a
sample list of
41
exercise participants. Appendix F contains a sample exercise planning
checklist, and Appendix G includes a list of potential exercise
equipment needs.
- Environmental Protection Agency
Chemical Emergency Preparedness and prevention Office
Office of solid Waste and Emergency Response
401 M Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20460
202/475-8600
- Environmental Protection Agency
Emergency Response Team
26 West St. Clair Street
Cincinnati, OH 45268
513/569-7537
FTS/684-7537
- Environmental Protection Agency
Emergency Response Team
Woodbridge Ave.
Edison, NJ 08837
201/321-6740
FTS/340-6740
- Environmental Protection Agency
Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know
Information Hotline
1-800-535-0202
1-202-479-2449 in Washington, D.C.
42
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
AGENCY REGIONAL OFFICES
REGION I REGION VI
EPA EPA
New England Regional Allied Bank Tower
Laboratory 1445 Ross Ave
60 Westview St. Dallas, TX 75202-2733
Lexington, MA 02173 214/655-2270
617/860-4300 FTS/255-2270 or 2277
FTS/860-4300, ext. 221
REGION VII
REGION II EPA
EPA 726 Minnesota Avenue
Woodbridge Ave. Kansas City, KS 66101
Edison, NJ 08837 913/236-2806
201/321-6656 FTS/757-2806
FTS/321-6656
REGION VIII
REGION III EPA
EPA One Denver Place
841 Chestnut St. Suite 1300 999-18th St.
Philadelphia, PA 19107 Denver, CO 80202-2413
215/597-0922 303/293-1723
FTS/597-0922 FTS/564-1723
REGION IV REGION IX
EPA EPA, H-12
345 Courtland St., N.E. 75 Hawthorne Street.
Atlanta, GA 30365 San Francisco, CA 94105
FTS/257-3931 415/744-2100
FTS/484-2100
REGION V
EPA REGION X
230 S. Dearborn St. EPA
Chicago, IL 60604 1200 6th Avenue
312/886-1964 Seattle, WA 98101
FTS/886-1964 206/442-1263
FTS/399-4349
43
U.S. COAST GUARD
The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) sponsors, with RRT support, six On-
Scene Coordinator/Regional Response Team (OSC/RRT) exercise simulation
training sessions across the country on an annual basis. Five of
these exercises involve coastal areas; the sixth focuses on an inland
incident.
OCS/RRT exercises are comprehensive and realistic simulations of
hazardous materials or oil incidents used to evaluate plans, policies,
procedures, and personnel. The focus of the exercise is on the
OSC/RRT relationship and the management of a major incident. Over 150
Federal, State, local, and industry officials generally participate in
a typical exercise. Participation in the exercise provides the
opportunity for Federal predesignated OSCs and RRT members to assemble
in a central location with the local response community. Industry
response representatives and clean-up contractors are also involved.
All actions are simulated; no equipment or personnel are dispatched.
The goal of the exercise is to allow all elements of the response
community to work together. The scenario is designed to reflect
actual patterns in the host community. The Coast Guard Marine Safety
School at Yorktown, VA designs the scenarios in coordination with a
selected team of local agency and industry representatives.
Generally, each simulation involves a 6-week process from initial
planning through scenario development and exercise conclusion.
Exercise length is two days -- eight hours of simulation activity
conducted in real time and three hours of open forum debriefing. The
debriefing is a means to discuss any deficiencies and necessary
corrective actions as well as to reinforce positive results.
Communities interested in participating in a simulation should contact
the RRT or the local predesignated Federal OSC.
- U.S. Coast Guard
Marine Environmental Response Office (T-MER)
Marine Safety School
Reserve Training Center
Yorktown, VA 23690
FTS/827-2335
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
The Department of Transportation/Research and Special Programs
Administration (DOT/RSPA) has a variety of program resources and
technical assistance which can support the development of
comprehensive hazardous materials exercises, with particular emphasis
on transportation issues.
RSPA's primary source of hazardous materials transportation data,
the Hazardous Materials Information System (HMIS), can be used to
identify either individual incident reports or compilations of State
incident history. The actual performance data derived from reports by
carriers whenever there is an unintentional release of hazardous
materials can be a useful source of scenario material. Individual
incident information includes types of vehicles and materials
involved, deaths and injuries, if any, resulting from the incident,
losses and property damage, estimated cost of decontamination, and
nature of packaging failure. New emphasis has been placed on
enhancing HMIS use; RSPA encourages requests for data.
Information emanating from enforcement activity can be used both in
determining objectives for exercises and in setting up scenarios based
on identified patterns of chemicals being shipped on major
44
transportation routes. DOT is encouraging State and local communities
to collect traffic flow information in order to allocate resources and
plan emergency response efforts. As information about frequent
violations becomes available, planners will have an additional
resource for refining their hazard analysis.
As part of the cooperative training initiatives under the auspices
of the National Response Team Training Committee, RSPA has established
a curriculum exchange effort to identify State-developed training
materials, case studies, and exercise scenarios which can be utilized
as resource materials. These materials win be collected and indexed
for information sharing.
As a result of increased communication among local, State, Federal
agencies, and industry efforts like the Community Awareness and
Emergency Response (CAER) program, considerable information is being
informally shared about exercise plans. DOT is increasing efforts to
load this information on the FEMA-DOT Hazardous Materials Information
Exchange (HMIX).
ARCHIE, the Automated Resource for Chemical Hazard Incident
Evaluation, is a computerized consequence analysis tool for the
DOT/EPA/FEMA developed Handbook of Chemical Hazard Analysis
Procedures. The ARCHIE can be used to generate realistic hazard
scenarios based upon hazard data inputted by the user. This tool and
companion handbook is available from the three producing agencies.
New DOT guidelines can be used to assist State officials in
evaluating alternative routing approaches which can be tested in
exercises. An additional planned resource is RSPA analyses of major
transportation incidents. Site visits are planned to document what
lessons can be learned for planning and emergency response activities.
Another well-established resource to emergency responders is the
DOT Emergency Response Guidebook. It is a guide for initial action to
be taken when handling incidents involving hazardous materials. It
covers over two thousand chemicals and includes potential hazards,
emergency actions, and initial isolation/evacuation distances for
selected hazardous materials. The information on protective action
and isolation distances can be utilized for exercises.
- Department of Transportation
Research and Special Programs Administration
Federal, State, and Private Sector Initiatives Div.
400 7th Street, S.W.
Washington, DC 20590
202/366-4900
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Under the provisions of CERCLA, the Agency for Toxic Substances and
Disease Registry (ASTDR) in the Department of Health and Human
Services (DHHS) is responsible for providing support to State and
local governments in health matters relating to releases or potential
releases of hazardous materials. ATSDR can furnish technical support
to Federal, State, and local agencies in planning hazardous materials
exercises, and in testing and evaluating the health components of
their emergency plans. ATSDR has participated in developing, staging,
and evaluating both tabletop and full-scale exercises. Depending on
the extent of the exercise, ATSDR
45
input will address contamination reduction and decontamination
activities related to response personnel, emergency medical services,
and hospital emergency rooms. Exercises requiring decision making
related to overall public health are also encouraged.
- Department of Health and Human Resources
