ER 221 - Emergency Exercise Program Management

Credit Hours: 3

A comprehensive study of the fundamentals of an exercise program for development, implementation, and administration. A performance-based approach for exercise design, development, conduct, evaluation, and improvement planning is presented as well as the process to identify the deficiencies and vulnerabilities and develop the after action report (AAR) and improvement plan (IP). Also, course topics that are addressed include: the value of conducting exercises; components of a comprehensive exercise program; the seven types of exercises; exercise evaluation; after action report with recommendations and corrective actions; and improvement plan. A small functional exercise is developed and conducted at the SUNY Erie Multi-Scenario Simulator.

Course Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

determine the benefits of an exercise program based on the results of exercises on improving response and recovery capability for specific emergencies;
describe and apply the eight exercise design steps;
identify the advantages and disadvantages of the three major types of exercises (tabletop, functional, and full-scale);
define the purpose, objectives, and components of an exercise program;
design and implement a small functional exercise using the eight-step design process;
identify the critical tasks required to develop, implement, review, and revise an exercise program;
conduct an exercise program needs assessment;
develop the purpose, goals, objectives, and implementing strategies for a comprehensive exercise program; and
develop a long-range (5 years or longer) exercise program plan that is risk-based and all-hazards, including the financial, personnel, equipment, and facilities requirements.

Prerequisites: ER 210, ER 211
S (C, S)