(Fall 2007)

Emergency Management: Training and Exercises (Section 1) SOCECOL X490.2  (3)

A course in the Emergency Management and Disaster Recovery series.
Conducting exercises and delivering training are effective ways to evaluate and continuously improve emergency operations plans, better prepare for disaster response, and train Emergency Operations Center response staff. Disaster exercises are valuable tools in both the private and public sectors. Gain an understanding of the fundamental tools used to develop, conduct, evaluate, and implement improvements following disaster training and exercises. Enhance your knowledge of exercise program design including selecting scenarios; establishing objectives; utilizing appropriate training and exercise methods, such as tabletops, functional, and full-scale exercises; using evaluation methods; and writing after action reports. Gain "hands on" experience with activities that address exercise design and develop a tabletop exercise as a class project. Exercises and training are developed using the Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS), the National Incident Management System (NIMS), and the Incident Command System (ICS). Prerequisite: SOCECOL X490.1 Emergency Management Plan Development, or equivalent experience.

Terre Duensing, B.S., division manager, Health Disaster Management, Orange County Health Care Agency, has 9 years of experience in the Emergency Management profession. As the Orange County Operational Area Emergency Manager, she has developed multiple tabletop, functional and full scale exercises. The exercises have been multi-hazard and involved fire, law, health, public works, schools, and the private sector. Duensing is 2nd vice president on the board of directors for the Southern California Emergency Services Association (SCESA).