Transcript 08-0917 NWTEMC TTX

NWTEMC
Tabletop Exercise
September 17, 2008
Wolf Lodge
Exercise Agenda
Schedule:
•
•
•
•
•
Exercise Briefing
Scenario Description
Activity period
Critique/Debriefing
Define next action steps
Exercise Briefing
• Purpose
This tabletop exercise is an opportunity to
discuss how you might use your tribes’
Emergency Management Plan to respond
to a large scale incident affecting tribal
nations located throughout the Northwest.
Exercise Briefing
• Definition
– Informal discussion stimulated by a
scripted disaster scenario
– No time pressures, low stress, designed
to promote free and open exchange of
ideas
– Identifies issues (e.g., policies, resources,
communication, data, coordination)
– Familiarizes players with roles, functions,
plans, and procedures
Why Exercise?
– To familiarize players with roles, functions,
plans, and procedures
– To offer informal discussion stimulated by the
description of a possible disaster scenario.
– Time pressures and stress are low in order
promote a free and open exchange of ideas.
– You are encouraged to identify issues and
resources that YOU know about.
Exercise Objectives
Practice and clarify response roles:
– Discuss policy issues and identify gaps in
local preparedness policies
– Identify additional training needs
– Recognize the roles of other public
officials, and identify strengths and
needs in partnerships
– Share measures to improve response,
and Illustrate the need for strong
teamwork and communication
Exercise Guidelines
– Participants
• Act out your role as realistically as possible
• Not everyone will participate equally, but
everyone should participate
• Please take notes for debriefing
– Policy Issues
• Focus on who, what, and when- rather than
the details of how
• Identify gaps and strengths of the system
rather than an individual’s knowledge.
• Consider what should be done to improve the
system.
Description
– The scenario we will consider is a
fictional, but possible, event.
– The timeline of the exercise is
intended to simulate the first hour of
planning functions conducted after
the event occurs.
Saturday, September 13
A bus with 42 visitors from B.C.
Canada begins a 24 hour promotional
tour of Western Washington casinos.
Saturday, September 13
Stops during the first day include the
Nooksack, Lummi, and Swinomish
tribal casinos.
Saturday, September 13
The evening concludes with dinner and
an overnight stay at the Tulalip casino
and resort hotel.
Saturday, September 13
Personnel from most Washington State tribes
are attending a TGA conference at the
hotel on the same night. Other conference
participants are from Idaho, Oregon and
Alaska.
Sunday, September 14
The conference ends the next
morning, and hotel staff check-out
both groups.
Sunday, September 14
On the return trip to Vancouver, the tour
bus first stops at the QuilCeda Village
outlet mall, and then at the Upper Skagit
and Stilliguamish casinos.
Tuesday, September 16
Staff at each casino and the hotel
begin to call in sick. Most are very ill
with severe vomiting and diarrhea.
Several of the TGA conference
attendees are also affected.
Wednesday, September 17
Staff at The State Department of
Health has received a report that 37
of the Vancouver tour-bus visitors
have also been ill, and have been
diagnosed with a highly contagious
norovirus.
Wednesday, September 17
To prevent further spread of the
disease, DOH recommends the
immediate closure of all tribal
casinos until a through cleaning
process is completed. The process
will take at least 73 hours.
Wednesday, September 17
This story is immediately released on
local and national news. Media
begin contacting local casinos for
more information.
Immediate Situation
Tribal Emergency Operations Centers
have been activated, and you are
here to attend a Incident Command
System planning session to
determine actions needed to
address this event.
The planning session will
begin now…
Based on the information given,
consider the first decisions
required…
• What expertise is needed to contain and
control this emergency?
• What type of response processes are
needed?
• From which agencies/departments would
you seek assistance?
• Discuss prioritization of first action steps
Use ICS guidelines to initiate discussion on the following actions.
DiscussionWhat are the ongoing expectations for:
– Planning
– Operations
– Logistics
– Finance/ Administration
– Safety
- Public Information
Are there any anticipated long-term issues?
Critique/Debriefing
Let’s Review Objectives
Practice and clarify response roles
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Discuss policy issues
Identify gaps in local preparedness policies
Identify additional training needs
Identify strengths and needs in partnerships
Share measures to improve response
Recognize the roles of other public officials
Illustrate the need for strong teamwork and
communication
The Issues
Four major issues identified in this
incident need to be considered:
1. Treatment of the illness in affected
people, and preventing further spread of
the norovirus;
2. Cleanup of contaminated areas;
3. Public relations/communications and;\
4. Addressing the economic impact of
business closures
Critique• What did not go well?
• What went well?
• What were some of the challenges
we identified, and what are your
suggestions to address this issue?
Did we consider:
– Review/updates to Action Plan
information?
• Contacts, information sources
• Critical services/coordination-safety component
• Supply status
– Updates about situation/plan?
– Updates regarding personnel availability
status?
– Provide public information?
Prioritize Action Steps
Based on the lessons learned in today’s
Exercise:
1.Please identify which three action items
should be the highest work priority.
2. Who should be responsible for this work?
•
Incident Management Teams?
•
Workgroup(s)?
3. What is the timeline for completion?
Action Items
QUESTIONS?
Thank you for participating in
our Exercise today!
T.J. Harmon, CEM
Northwest Emergency
Services
(NES)
360-679-6386
[email protected]