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Q&A: Pandemic Preparedness

Emergency Management Alert, September 25, 2006

Q & A: Disaster drills

This question was asked of consultant Peggy Prinz Luebbert, MT(ASCP), CIC, CHSP, of Alegent Health in Omaha.

Q: Is there such a thing as an 'ideal' emergency exercise?

A: The question might best be answered in looking at what makes an effective exercise program. As the realism of drills and exercises increases, so too does the learning and improvement opportunities. We learned with the worst-case scenarios Hurricane Katrina and SARS that a drill or exercise should be planned to truly inconvenience the participants and the facility-just as a real disaster would. Exercises that test the limits of a plan or its sub-parts can effectively identify weak spots and opportunities for improvement. Facilities should perform an assessment and drill those areas where they are the least prepared. Employees should have their emergency responsibilities and exercise participation reflected in their job descriptions. Exercises can be small enough to test one internal process or large enough to test 50 objectives involving all the state or region emergency responders.

Another secret to the success of an exercise program is to have established authority conducting the exercise. This means gaining the support of your CEO and other key administrative staff. Gaining this support of these executives is not always easy, but the process may be made easier by ensuring that you emphasize the importance of exercises in your accreditation programs and that you sell the importance of preparing for the worst case scenario.

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