Exercise Planning & Development
ORAU conducts full-scale exercises that allow your personnel to practice their response to a simulated event.
To ensure the readiness of your organization to respond to various types of emergencies—ranging from a terrorist attack to a natural disaster—Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) develops and implements exercise programs.
Through full-scale exercises, drills, and tabletops, your personnel experience first-hand a simulated event and can practice their response. Our exercises are designed to:
- Highlight your organization's strengths
- Identify areas where your organization can improve
- Test emergency plans and procedures
- Reinforce teamwork concepts
- Integrate multiple organizations/agencies and their response resources/capabilities
ORAU staff are present during an exercise to manage, control, and assist with the evaluation. Once the exercise objectives are completed, ORAU helps participants critique and analyze the decisions and outcomes that took place. ORAU provides an exercise report that can be used to improve capabilities and address any identified weaknesses.
Examples of our work include:
Support to the U.S. Department of Energy's Exercise Programs
ORAU's national security experts provide extensive support to DOE's Emergency Response Readiness Program. We serve as the principal planner and coordinator for DOE's participation in national weapons of mass destruction (WMD) exercises.
ORAU's emergency management staff also manage the 900-member Emergency Management Issues Special Interest Group (EMI SIG) to share information, resources, and lessons learned across the DOE complex.
Next Generation Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) Course Incorporates Toolkit Activities
ORISE and the State of California Office of Homeland Security have revised the HSEEP course to create a balance between learning exercise methodology and using the web-based Toolkit to plan and develop exercises.
Working with the EMI SIG, ORAU personnel developed the unique computer-based Exercise Builder tool. DOE has adopted it as the standard for planning its internal exercises.
DOE Exercise and Drill Subcommittee
In managing the DOE EMI SIG, ORAU employees also coordinate the Exercise and Drill Subcommittee. This group shares findings, information, and good practices related to all phases of exercise planning and conduct.
Support to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
ORAU staff support all aspects of exercise planning, logistics, control, evaluation, and documentation for DHS. Specific examples include:
- Operational and technical assistance to the DHS Contingency Planning Support Division on the TOPOFF exercise series, other national level exercises, as well as tabletop exercises, games, and conferences.
- Direct support to the DHS Protective Security Division exercise to validate Buffer Zone Security Plans for critical U.S. infrastructure sites.
California Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP)
ORAU staff support this state program with direct operational and technical assistance related to developing, conducting, managing, and reporting on exercises and training in support of HSEEP’s mission.
TOPOFF 3 Public Affairs Response
ORAU personnel
developed and conducted a component of the TOPOFF 3 exercise for the Department of Health and Human Services, Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs to test its ability to communicate effectively with the public and other stakeholders during a terrorist event.