Emergency Simulation
Hone skills through participating in realistic crisis response drills
Build Skills for Effective Crisis Response
Unexpected events happen. When they do, it’s not enough to pull out a never-used response plan. It’s important to practice responding to simulated emergencies so that when a real problem arises, it can be addressed skillfully and effectively.
This is where Viristar’s emergency response drills can provide vital training and skills development.
Customized for Your Unique Context
Each scenario is custom-developed to meet your specific needs, and stress-test the areas of the organization you want to assess. The process, however, typically has three main components: planning, execution and debrief.
Take the Next Step
Connect with Viristar and be prepared for incidents any time, anywhere.
Plan the Scenario
Viristar staff meet with organization management to develop the parameters of the drill.
Who is involved? The exercise may include organizational administrators, field/activity leader personnel, program coordinators and managers, executive leadership, office staff, governance (trustee/director) personnel, technical advisors, safety committee members
What’s the situation? The incident can be a natural disaster, civil unrest, motor vehicle accident, wilderness medical incident, or other event.
Prepare participants. Volunteer actors to play the part of news media, family members of participants, or other roles are recruited as needed. All participants and members of the organization are briefed on the incident. For scenarios involving simulated emergencies in the field, land managers and emergency services agencies may be notified.
Run the Scenario
The activity typically runs over multiple hours, and includes table-top responses by program managers. A field-based medical-rescue scenario can be included to involve activity leaders and other field personnel. Program administrators may receive phone calls, messages, or in-person visits from individuals acting as news media representatives, family members of participants, or in other roles.
Administrators game out potential actions and respond, including working with their organization’s staff, as well as addressing engagement with emergency services, news media, search and rescue, land managers, legal, insurance, or client constituents.
Debrief and Make Action Plan
Viristar or client leadership facilitates a group debrief, or after-action review, to share insights and identify improvement opportunities and successes.
A written “lessons learned” report is created, to be explicitly linked to and used for improvements in planning, policy and future organizational practices.
Following the conclusion of the simulation, the organization may execute action items from the report, and make appropriate changes to the organization’s policies and procedures, training systems, and other processes.
