Exercises

Functional Exercise (FE)

Tabletop Exercise (TTX)

EREC has been involved in the exercise process for over 350 exercise deliveries. We have provided Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation (HSEEP) exercises since the inception of the process. In addition, we are an HSEEP L-146 Course provider. Our past exercises have achieved compliance approval from both the Florida Division of Emergency Management and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. EREC had the pleasure of serving as the exercise contractor for the FEMA Region IV CHER-CAP Exercise conducted in Marion County in 2001. This was the first CHER-CAP regional exercise conducted in the Southeastern United States.

EREC maintains full-time staff trained in the Homeland Security Exercise & Evaluation Program (HSEEP) that design, develop, facilitate, and evaluate HSEEP exercises. In addition to our full-time staff, 45 subject matter experts serve as HSEEP exercise evaluators to augment our capabilities. EREC’s Exercise Planning Staff is experienced in conducting exercise After Action Report/Improvement Plan (AAR/IP) research, production, and preparing the final report in the HSEEP format to achieve compliance.

Exercises

Tabletop Exercises (TTXs) involve key personnel discussing hypothetical scenarios in an informal setting. This type of exercise can be used to assess plans, policies, and procedures or to assess the systems needed to guide the prevention of, response to, and recovery from a defined incident. TTXs typically are aimed at facilitating understanding of concepts, identifying strengths and shortfalls, and achieving changes in the approach to a particular situation. Participants are encouraged to discuss issues in depth and develop decisions through slow-paced problem solving, rather than the rapid, spontaneous decision making that occurs under actual or simulated emergency conditions

A Functional Exercise (FE) is designed to validate and evaluate individual capabilities, multiple functions, activities within a function, or interdependent groups of functions. Events are projected through an exercise scenario with event updates that drive activity at the management level. A FE simulates the reality of operations in a functional area by presenting complex and realistic problems that require rapid and effective responses by trained personnel in a highly stressful, time-constrained environment.

A drill is a coordinated, supervised activity usually employed to validate a single, specific operation or function in a single agency or organizational entity. Drills are commonly used to provide training on new equipment, develop or validate new policies or procedures, or practice and maintain current skills. Typical attributes of drills include:

Narrow focus, measured against established standards;
Immediate feedback;
A realistic environment; and
Performance in isolation.

Full Scale Exercises (FSE) are typically multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional, multi-organizational exercises that validate many facets of preparedness. They focus on implementing and analyzing the plans, policies, procedures, and cooperative agreements developed in discussion-based exercises. In FSEs, the reality of operations in multiple functional areas presents complex and realistic problems that require critical thinking, rapid problem solving, and effective responses by trained personnel. During FSEs, events are projected through a scripted exercise scenario with built-in flexibility to allow updates to drive activity. FSEs are conducted in real time, creating a stressful, time-constrained environment that closely mirrors real incidents.