AAR = After Action Report•AAR, which captures observations and recommendations based on the exercise objectives as associated with the capabilities and tasks;IP= Improvement Plan•IP, which identifies specific corrective actions, assigns them to responsible parties, and establishes targets for their completion. The lead evaluator and the exercise planning team draft the AAR and submit it to conference participants prior to an After Action Conference. $4 saved for every $1 spent (National Institute of Building Sciences)EM Message in a Crisis must be: STARCC Principle• Simple• Timely• Accurate• Relevant• Credible• ConsistentRemember the 5Ws and 1 H• Who • What• When• Where• Why• HowThe PIO (Public Information Officer) • Collects, verifies and disseminates emergency information to the public that can help them make protection/recovery decisions• A PIO is a…o Central contacto Planner (pro-active and crisis)o Writero Coordinatoro Agency/Community representative• PIO Duties in an emergencyo Collect, verify, and disseminate informationo Understand and accommodate the needs of the mediao Keep lines of communication open in your agencyo Assume responsibilities in the EOC, Command Post, City Hall, JIC, etc.o Highlight “behind-the-scene” players in follow-up and in-depth stories• Before a news conference:o Develop and coordinate messageo Confirm participantso Select siteo Inform media of time and placeo Prepare facilityo Set up visualso Prepare press kits and/or other materialo Brief participantso Script and hold to 15-20 minutes• During a news conferenceo Greet mediao Coordinate movements of speakers, media, and invited guestso Intercede if questions get out of controlo Keep the conference on schedule• After a news conferenceo Debrief participantso Determine if further conferences are neededo Monitor media’s coverageo Follow up with media, as neededSpokesperson• An individual representing the organization who has…o Knowledgeo Authorityo Community Trust…with the media and the public• How to prepare the spokesperson• Help him / her develop key messages• Assist him / her in building strong interview skills• Provide tips for differing media types• Provide suggestions on how to dress• Joint Information Center (JIC) A JIC is a joint location for all disaster response agencies and their PIOs with mutually agreed -upon plan for information dissemination • “One stop shop”o One location, one message• Coordination of PIO resourceso Multiple levels of government• Management of misinformationAn Exercise• Reveals shortfalls• Enhances coordination and control• Defines responsibilities & tasks• Trains personnel• Promotes programTypes of Exercise• Discussion-Basedo Seminarso Workshopso Gameso Tabletops• Operations-Basedo Drillso Functionalso Full-Scales• Discussion Based Exercises These types of exercises:• Provide a forum for discussing or developing plans, agreements, training and procedures.• Are generally less complicated that operations-based types.• Typically focus on strategic, policy-oriented issues.• Include seminars, workshops, tabletops, and games.• Do not involve deployment of resources.• Operations Based Exercises These types of exercises:• Involve deployment of resources and personnel.• Are more complex than discussion-based types.• Require execution of plans, policies, agreements, and procedures.• Clarify roles and responsibilities.• Improve individual and team performances.• Include drills and both functional and full-scale exercises. Seminars• Style o Informal o Discussion o Presentation • Delivers o New Information /Awareness o New Roles o Capabilities A seminar is an informal discussion, designed to orient participants to new or updated plans, policies, or procedures (e.g., a seminar to review a new Evacuation Standard Operating Procedure)BWorkshops• Collecting or sharing informationo Building a process or product• Obtaining new or different perspectives• Testing new ideas/processes/procedures• Training groups to perform coordinated activities• Problem-solving complex issues• Obtaining consensus and team buildingA workshop resembles a seminar, but is employed to build specific products, such as a draft plan or policy (e.g., a Training and Exercise Plan Workshop is used to develop a Multi-year Training and Exercise Plan).BGames• Hypothetical situations steered by player actions• Play unfolds contingent on player decisions• Competitive environment/rapid feedback• Practice group problem solving/teamwork• Helps explore possible future scenarios• Consequences of player actions are demonstratedGames. A game is a simulation of operations that often involves two or more teams, usually in a competitive environment, using rules, data, and procedure designed to depict an actual or assumed real-life situation. BTabletops• Styleo Low Stresso Informal Discussiono Scenario Driveno Slow paced problem solving• Deliverso Plan Reviewo Clarified Roleso Improved CoordinationA tabletop exercise involves key personnel discussing simulated scenarios in an informal setting. TTXs can be used to assess plans, policies, and procedures. Drills• Styleo Physical Activityo Task Orientedo Single Function• Deliverso Sequential Processo Focused TrainingA drill is a coordinated, supervised activity usually employed to test a single, specific operation or function within a single entity (e.g., a fire department conducts a decontamination drill).BFunctionals• Styleo Realistico Stressfulo Multi-Functionalo Communications Driven• Deliverso Total Team Trainingo Decision Processeso Coordinated ResponseA functional exercise examines and/or validates the coordination, command, and control between various multi-agency coordination centers (e.g., emergency operation center, joint field office, etc.). A functional exercise does not involve any "boots on the ground" (i.e., first responders or emergency officials responding to an incident in real time).BFull Scales• Styleo High Realismo High Stresso Field/Operational Driven• Deliverso Systems Integrationo Total Involvemento Total AssessmentA full-scale exercise is a multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional, multi-discipline exercise involving functional (e.g., joint field office, emergency operation centers, etc.) and "boots on the ground" response (e.g., firefighters decontaminating mock