Tabletop Exercise #1
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Table of Contents
What Is a Tabletop Exercise?. 1
Student/Facilitator Guidelines. 5
Local map
Damage Assessment Form
Events and Evaluation Form for Student/Facilitator (s) and Student/Evaluator(s
Student/Facilitator /Evaluator Feedback Form
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CERT Drills and Exercises
The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program educates ordinary people from all walks of life about disaster preparedness and weapons of mass destruction and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, and disaster medical operation. Using the training, CERT members can assist others in their neighborhood or workplace following an event and can take a more active role in preparing their community. Locate the CERT team in your area by going to: http://www.citizencorps.fema.gov/cc/searchCert.do?submitByZip
This document is used by the Student/Facilitator (s) and supports the delivery of a tabletop exercise that can be customized to meet local needs.
What Is a Tabletop Exercise?
Tabletop exercises are table-based activities typically held in an informal setting and presented by the Student/Facilitator. There is no hands-on practice or field work. This type of exercise is intended to generate discussion of various issues regarding a hypothetical, simulated emergency. Tabletops can be used to enhance general awareness, validate plans and procedures, rehearse concepts, and/or assess the types of systems needed to guide the prevention of, protection from, mitigation of, response to, and recovery from a defined incident.
Delivered in a low-stress environment, the tabletop exercise offers participants the opportunity to explore different ideas in the context of a real-world scenario. All participants should be encouraged to contribute to the discussion and be reminded they are making decisions in a “no-fault” environment.
Effective facilitation is critical to keeping participants focused on exercise objectives. The Student/Facilitator /Instructor may ask about the decisions made, including how a decision was reached or what implications a decision might have. The exercise ends either when all actions have been discussed or when the time limit is reached. Participant learning is reinforced and feedback is provided through a hot wash at the conclusion of the exercise.
Exercise Overview
“Tabletop Exercise #1”
| Hazard: | Earthquake |
| Location: | Local neighborhood |
| Duration: | 40-60 minutes |
Capabilities Exercised:
- Incident Command
- Medical treatment area setup
- Sizeup
Exercise Objectives:
- Validate the decision-making process to prioritize incidents.
- Evaluate procedures for locating a medical treatment area.
- Validate CERT sizeup procedures.
Scenario:
A major earthquake has struck at 1:00 p.m. on a mid-week afternoon. The day is cool and cloudy. It has been raining lightly all day, and the temperature is expected to fall quickly by 5:30 p.m.
The local CERT has been activated to assess damage in its neighborhood. CERT members have just arrived at the pre-designated meeting point.
For Exercise Staff
Exercise Synopsis:
This tabletop exercise gives the team the opportunity to:
- Discuss the process it would use to set up a Command Post and medical treatment area.
- Prioritize how to respond to a variety of damaged buildings and victims.
The focus of the exercise is on prioritizing actions based on what is known of the situation and the capabilities of the team.
These activities are performed in the context of a scenario where buildings have been damaged and people injured as the result of an earthquake. This scenario could be changed to any event that would result in building damage and injured victims.
The student first determines the process for setting up the Command Post and medical treatment area. Then the team develops an initial plan to respond to the situation. Once the initial plan is developed, the Student/Facilitator completes the Damage Assessment Form with information on the condition of the buildings and victims. Using this new information, the student then develops a plan for responding to the scenario.
The exercise ends either when all actions have been completed. At the conclusion of the exercise, a hot wash helps students review what they have learned and provides feedback on the exercise.
Exercise Materials and Staff:
- Forms:
- Local map
- Damage Assessment Form
- Events and Evaluation Form
- Facilitator Feedback Form
Exercise Staff Roles:
1. Student/Facilitator
The Student/Facilitator will play three roles for this exercise.
First, the Student/Facilitator will lead and guide the exercise by presenting information.
The Student/Facilitator may want to take notes on decisions made and actions taken so he or she can refer to them later. Use the Events and Evaluation Form for Student/Facilitator (s) and Student/Evaluator(s) to record notes.
Third, the Student/Facilitator will conduct a hot wash (debrief). The purpose of the hot wash is to reinforce learning by helping participants evaluate their own decision making. It is a balance between:
- Asking participants why they made the choices they did and what they learned.
- Providing additional information and coaching.
During the hot wash and after the exercise, the Student/Facilitator has additional responsibilities including providing input to improve future CERT exercises.
2. Student/Evaluator
The role of Evaluator is typically assumed by the Student/ Evaluator in a tabletop exercise. The primary responsibility of the Evaluator is to assess the exercise based on the events and expected actions listed on the Events and Evaluation Form for Student/ Evaluator.
Student/Facilitator Guidelines
| Step | Action | What to Say/Do |
| 1 | Prepare for the exercise.
|
· Make copies of the handouts in the Appendix.
· Make copies of the one-page Exercise Overview. |
| 2 | Understand the exercise. | Understand that the purpose of the exercise is:
· To provide an opportunity to walk through the procedures the team would implement in response to a given scenario. · To improve CERT’s operational performance by practicing and validating policies, plans, procedures, and training in the risk-free environment of an exercise. |
| 3 | Review the goals of the exercise. | Understand the goals of the exercise.
· Validate the decision-making process to prioritize incidents. · Evaluate procedures for locating a medical treatment area. · Validate CERT size up procedures. |
| 4 | Most Important to Know | · The two most important goals for team members are: Protect yourself first, and then do the greatest good for the greatest number of people. All other decisions flow from these two considerations. |
| 5 | Understand the scenario; pay attention to details. | · A major earthquake has struck at 1:00 p.m. on a mid-week afternoon. The day is cool and cloudy. It has been raining lightly all day, and the temperature is expected to fall quickly by 5:30 p.m.
· The local CERT has been activated to assess damage in its neighborhood. CERT members have just arrived at the pre-designated meeting point. |
| 6 | Review a copy of the map. | See the map attachment. |
| 7 | Decide where to set up. | How would you:
· Establish an Incident Command. · Choose the location for the medical treatment area. · Develop a plan to respond to the situation, including defined roles and assigned tasks.
|
| 8 | Think About It | · Are the Command Post and medical treatment area located appropriately? |
| 9 | Review the prioritization process if appropriate. | · A HIGH-priority incident:
o What level of training, equipment and expertise is needed? o When handled appropriately, prevents the situation from escalating · A LOW-priority incident: o What advanced training skills and resources are required? o Is this one that members have little or no control over? o Is this one that a CERT could handle but ranks as less important because no lives are at risk? |
| 10 | Review the Damage Assessment Form. | Complete the Damage Assessment Forms and assign a priority (high or low) to each. |
| 11 | Develop a plan of action. | The plan of action should address the situation as you now understand it. |
| 12 | Review the implications of your decisions as appropriate. | Review your decision and discuss your priorities that are based on the needs of the situation and if you have the capability to achieve the action plan. |
| 13 | Conduct the hot wash | · Since documentation is a key part of every CERT response, answer specific questions during the hot wash that would likely require the member to refer to documentation for answers.
· Questions might include: o What actions were taken and by whom? o Why were certain actions taken? o When did they do this? o What conditions did they find? o What did you do next? o What worked well and what did not? o What additional forms or methods would you use in a real event to document status and additional needs? · NOTE: Documentation and retaining the information is very important at a scene. · NOTE: Documentation may be done in a variety of ways – from structured forms, to notes on scrap cardboard, to writing on the back of a hand. The format isn’t important, but retaining the information is. |
Local Map
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|
DAMAGE ASSESSMENT FORM |
CERT
|
DATE
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| LOCATION
House #1 |
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SIZE UP
(check if applicable) |
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| Fires | Hazards | Structure | PEOPLE | Roads | ANIMALS | ||||||||||||
| BURNING | OUT | GAS LEAK | H20 LEAK | ELECTRIC | CHEMICAL | DAMAGED | COLLAPSED | INJURED | TRAPPED | DEAD | ACCESS | NO ACCESS | Injured | trapped | ROAMING | ||
| oBSERVATIONS | |||||||||||||||||
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| CERT Member: | page _1___ of __1___ | ||||||||||||||||
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|
DAMAGE ASSESSMENT FORM |
CERT
|
DATE
|
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| LOCATION
House #2 |
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SIZE UP
(check if applicable) |
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| Fires | Hazards | Structure | PEOPLE | Roads | ANIMALS | ||||||||||||
| BURNING | OUT | GAS LEAK | H20 LEAK | ELECTRIC | CHEMICAL | DAMAGED | COLLAPSED | INJURED | TRAPPED | DEAD | ACCESS | NO ACCESS | Injured | trapped | ROAMING | ||
| oBSERVATIONS | |||||||||||||||||
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| CERT Member:
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page _1___ of __1___ | ||||||||||||||||
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DAMAGE ASSESSMENT FORM |
CERT
|
DATE
|
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| LOCATION
House #3 |
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|
SIZE UP
(check if applicable) |
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| Fires | Hazards | Structure | PEOPLE | Roads | ANIMALS | ||||||||||||
| BURNING | OUT | GAS LEAK | H20 LEAK | ELECTRIC | CHEMICAL | DAMAGED | COLLAPSED | INJURED | TRAPPED | DEAD | ACCESS | NO ACCESS | Injured | trapped | ROAMING | ||
| oBSERVATIONS | |||||||||||||||||
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| CERT Member:
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page _1___ of __1___ | ||||||||||||||||
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|
DAMAGE ASSESSMENT FORM |
CERT
|
DATE
|
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| LOCATION
Church |
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|
SIZE UP
(check if applicable) |
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| Fires | Hazards | Structure | PEOPLE | Roads | ANIMALS | ||||||||||||
| BURNING | OUT | GAS LEAK | H20 LEAK | ELECTRIC | CHEMICAL | DAMAGED | COLLAPSED | INJURED | TRAPPED | DEAD | ACCESS | NO ACCESS | Injured | trapped | ROAMING | ||
| oBSERVATIONS | |||||||||||||||||
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| CERT Member:
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page _1___ of __1___ | ||||||||||||||||
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DAMAGE ASSESSMENT FORM |
CERT
|
DATE
|
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| LOCATION
Child Care Center |
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|
SIZE UP
(check if applicable) |
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| Fires | Hazards | Structure | PEOPLE | Roads | ANIMALS | ||||||||||||
| BURNING | OUT | GAS LEAK | H20 LEAK | ELECTRIC | CHEMICAL | DAMAGED | COLLAPSED | INJURED | TRAPPED | DEAD | ACCESS | NO ACCESS | Injured | trapped | ROAMING | ||
| oBSERVATIONS | |||||||||||||||||
| – | |||||||||||||||||
| CERT Member:
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page _1___ of __1___ | ||||||||||||||||
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DAMAGE ASSESSMENT FORM |
CERT
|
DATE
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| LOCATION
Fertilizer Plant |
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SIZE UP
(check if applicable) |
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| Fires | Hazards | Structure | PEOPLE | Roads | ANIMALS | ||||||||||||
| BURNING | OUT | GAS LEAK | H20 LEAK | ELECTRIC | CHEMICAL | DAMAGED | COLLAPSED | INJURED | TRAPPED | DEAD | ACCESS | NO ACCESS | Injured | trapped | ROAMING | ||
| oBSERVATIONS | |||||||||||||||||
| CERT Member | page _1___ of __1___ | ||||||||||||||||
Events and Evaluation Form Example:
| Church: Moderate damage; probably only two people in building.
[Prioritizing] |
Do quick check and move on.
Medium priority |
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Events and Evaluation Form for Student/Facilitator/Evaluator
|
Message/Event
|
Expected Action
|
Actual Observed
(To be filled in by Evaluator during the exercise) |
| House 1:
[Prioritizing] |
|
Time action completed: __________
Completion: No ____ Yes ____ Partial ____ Notes:
|
| House 2:
[Prioritizing] |
Time action completed: __________
Completion: No ____ Yes ____ Partial ____ Notes:
|
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| House 3:
[Prioritizing] |
Time action completed: __________
Completion: No ____ Yes ____ Partial ____ Notes:
|
|
| Church:
[Prioritizing] |
|
Time action completed: __________
Completion: No ____ Yes ____ Partial ____ Notes:
|
| Child Care Center:
[Prioritizing] |
Time action completed: __________
Completion: No ____ Yes ____ Partial ____ Notes:
|
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|
[Prioritizing] |
Time action completed: __________
Completion: No ____ Yes ____ Partial ____ Notes:
|
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Time action completed: __________
Completion: No ____ Yes ____ Partial ____ Notes:
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Time action completed: __________
Completion: No ____ Yes ____ Partial ____ Notes:
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Time action completed: __________
Completion: No ____ Yes ____ Partial ____ Notes:
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Student/Facilitator /Evaluator Feedback Form
| Exercise Name: | Exercise Date: |
Name (Optional): Role (Optional):
CERT/Organization:
- Please rate, on a scale of 1 to 5, your overall assessment of the exercise relative to the following statements, with 1 indicating strong disagreement with the statement and 5 indicating strong agreement.
| Assessment Factor |
Strongly
Disagree |
Strongly Agree | |||||
| The exercise was well structured and organized. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| The exercise scenario(s) was plausible and realistic. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| The Student/Facilitator (s) was knowledgeable about the area of play and kept the exercise on target. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| The exercise documentation provided to assist in preparing for and participating in the exercise was useful. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| This exercise allowed the CERT to practice and improve priority capabilities. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |||
- Based on today’s exercise, list observed key strengths and/or areas that need improvement.
Strengths: ______________________________________________________________
Areas for improvement: ____________________________________________________
- Please provide recommendations on how this exercise or future exercises could be improved or enhanced.
Tabletop Exercise #2
Exercise Overview
“Tabletop Exercise #2”
| Hazard: | Tornado/wind storm |
| Location: | Local neighborhood |
| Duration: | 40-60 minutes |
Capabilities Exercised:
- Hazardous materials identification
- Medical triage
- Documentation
- Sizeup
Exercise Objectives:
- Assess team procedures for identifying the presence of hazardous materials and taking appropriate steps to reduce risks.
- Evaluate the process for assessing and prioritizing victim conditions.
- Evaluate methods for documenting actions taken.
- Validate CERT sizeup procedures.
Scenario:
At 2:45 p.m. on a hot and stormy Tuesday afternoon, a severe thunderstorm spawns a tornado. The tornado strikes a town, causing heavy damage. The tornado has damaged a local middle school, and the neighborhood CERT has responded.
As the team members approach the school, they can see that the windows have been blown out of most of the building. There is debris on the ground including broken glass, books, papers, and pieces of broken furniture. Walking around the building, the team notices that although the classrooms are full of broken furniture, the walls and ceilings appear sound.
As the team members round the building to the back, the school principal approaches the team. He is bleeding from a head injury and tells the team that they haven’t accounted for everyone. Two teachers, the janitor, and at least five students are missing. He has called the Fire Department, but they told him they weren’t sure when they would be able to get there because of the extensive damage to the rest of the town.
The scene at the back of the school is chaotic. Two teachers who appear uninjured are trying to care for 15 children gathered in the parking lot. Some of the children are sitting, some are lying down, and others are walking around. Many of the children are crying, and some are screaming.
Voices can be heard from within the building calling for help.
A third teacher runs up and says that the janitor, Mr. Haynesworth, is trapped under some debris in the Maintenance Office and needs help immediately.
For Exercise Staff
Exercise Synopsis:
This tabletop exercise gives the team the opportunity to:
- Discuss the process it would use to set up a Command Post.
- Develop a plan to respond to a disaster situation with a variety of damaged buildings and victims; the plan must address triage and the identification of and response to hazardous materials.
The focus of the exercise is on prioritizing actions based on what is known of the situation and the capabilities of the team.
These activities are performed in the context of a scenario where buildings have been damaged and people injured as the result of a tornado (or wind storm). This scenario could be changed to any event that would result in building damage and injured victims.
After discussing the process for setting up the Command Post, the team develops an initial plan to respond to the situation. Once the initial plan is developed, the Student/Facilitator pauses the exercise to discuss the plan.
After the discussion, the Student/Facilitator passes out Damage Assessment Forms with information on the condition of the buildings and victims. Using this new information, the team then develops a plan for responding to the scenario.
The exercise ends either when all actions have been discussed or the time limit is reached. At the conclusion of the exercise, a hot wash helps participants review what they have learned and provides feedback on the exercise.
Exercise Materials and Staff:
- Student/Facilitator Forms:
- Local map, used during the exercise
- Damage Assessment Forms, used during the exercise
- Events and Evaluation Form for Student/Facilitator (s) and Evaluator(s), used by the Student/Facilitator (s) and Evaluator(s) during the exercise
- Student/Facilitator /Evaluator Feedback Form, completed after the exercise
Local Map
|
DAMAGE ASSESSMENT FORM |
CERT
|
DATE
|
|||||||||||||||
| LOCATION
|
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|
SIZE UP
(check if applicable) |
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| Fires | Hazards | Structure | PEOPLE | Roads | ANIMALS | ||||||||||||
| BURNING | OUT | GAS LEAK | H20 LEAK | ELECTRIC | CHEMICAL | DAMAGED | COLLAPSED | INJURED | TRAPPED | DEAD | ACCESS | NO ACCESS | Injured | trapped | ROAMING | ||
| oBSERVATIONS | |||||||||||||||||
| – | |||||||||||||||||
| CERT Member: | page _1___ of ___1__ | ||||||||||||||||
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|
DAMAGE ASSESSMENT FORM |
CERT
|
DATE
|
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| LOCATION
School building |
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|
SIZE UP
(check if applicable) |
|||||||||||||||||
| Fires | Hazards | Structure | PEOPLE | Roads | ANIMALS | ||||||||||||
| BURNING | OUT | GAS LEAK | H20 LEAK | ELECTRIC | CHEMICAL | DAMAGED | COLLAPSED | INJURED | TRAPPED | DEAD | ACCESS | NO ACCESS | Injured | trapped | ROAMING | ||
| oBSERVATIONS | |||||||||||||||||
|
|
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| CERT Member: | page _1___ of __1___ | ||||||||||||||||
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|
DAMAGE ASSESSMENT FORM |
CERT
|
DATE
|
|||||||||||||||
| LOCATION
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
SIZE UP
(check if applicable) |
|||||||||||||||||
| Fires | Hazards | Structure | PEOPLE | Roads | ANIMALS | ||||||||||||
| BURNING | OUT | GAS LEAK | H20 LEAK | ELECTRIC | CHEMICAL | DAMAGED | COLLAPSED | INJURED | TRAPPED | DEAD | ACCESS | NO ACCESS | Injured | trapped | ROAMING | ||
| oBSERVATIONS | |||||||||||||||||
|
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| CERT Member:
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page _1___ of __1___ | ||||||||||||||||
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Events and Evaluation Form for Student/Facilitator/Evaluator
|
Message/Event
|
Expected Action
|
Actual Observed
(To be filled in by Evaluator during the exercise) |
| Parking lot:
[Prioritizing] |
Time action completed: __________
Completion: No ____ Yes ____ Partial ____ Notes:
|
|
| Parking lot:
[Prioritizing] |
Time action completed: __________
Completion: No ____ Yes ____ Partial ____ Notes:
|
|
| Parking lot:
[Prioritizing] |
Time action completed: __________
Completion: No ____ Yes ____ Partial ____ Notes:
|
|
| Parking lot:
[Prioritizing] |
Time action completed: __________
Completion: No ____ Yes ____ Partial ____ Notes:
|
|
| Parking lot:
[Prioritizing] |
Time action completed: __________
Completion: No ____ Yes ____ Partial ____ Notes:
|
|
| Parking lot:
[Prioritizing] |
Time action completed: __________
Completion: No ____ Yes ____ Partial ____ Notes:
|
|
| Parking lot:
[Prioritizing] |
Time action completed: __________
Completion: No ____ Yes ____ Partial ____ Notes:
|
|
| Parking lot:
[Prioritizing] |
Time action completed: __________
Completion: No ____ Yes ____ Partial ____ Notes:
|
|
| School building:
[Prioritizing] |
Time action completed: __________
Completion: No ____ Yes ____ Partial ____ Notes:
|
|
| School building:
. [Prioritizing] |
Time action completed: __________
Completion: No ____ Yes ____ Partial ____ Notes:
|
|
| Maintenance Office:
[Prioritizing] |
Time action completed: __________
Completion: No ____ Yes ____ Partial ____ Notes:
|
|
|
|
Time action completed: __________
Completion: No ____ Yes ____ Partial ____ Notes:
|
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|
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Time action completed: __________
Completion: No ____ Yes ____ Partial ____ Notes:
|
|
|
|
Per CERT Basic Training | Time action completed: __________
Completion: No ____ Yes ____ Partial ____ Notes:
|
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Student/Facilitator/Evaluator Feedback Form
| Exercise Name: | Exercise Date: |
Name (Optional): Role (Optional):
CERT/Organization:
- Please rate, on a scale of 1 to 5, your overall assessment of the exercise relative to the following statements, with 1 indicating strong disagreement with the statement and 5 indicating strong agreement.
| Assessment Factor |
Strongly
Disagree |
Strongly Agree | |||||
| The exercise was well structured and organized. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| The exercise scenario(s) was plausible and realistic. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| The Student/Facilitator (s) was knowledgeable about the area of play and kept the exercise on target. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| The exercise documentation provided to assist in preparing for and participating in the exercise was useful. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| This exercise allowed the CERT to practice and improve priority capabilities. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |||
- Based on today’s exercise, list observed key strengths and/or areas that need improvement.
Strengths: _____________________________________________________________
Areas for improvement: ___________________________________________________
- Please provide recommendations on how this exercise or future exercises could be improved or enhanced.
