Tabletop and Full-Scale Emergency Exercises for General Aviation, Non-Hub, and Small Hub Airports (2016)

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50 SAMPLE EMERGENCY EXERCISE MATERIALS In addition to the six case example airports discussed in chapter four, 30 other airports volunteered to share exercise planning, execution, and evaluation materials. Those materials were analyzed for relevance to the exercise needs of general aviation, non-hub, and small hub airports and for practicality of use. The sample materials are reproduced in Appendices C through X, which are organized around nine tools commonly used for planning and conducting a full-scale exercise. Wherever possible, HSEEP-based tools are presented. The same tools can be used to plan and conduct a tabletop exercise. 1. Goals and Objectives—Three statements of goals and objectives are provided as Appendices C, D, and E. The first two are from an airport that wishes not to be identified; the third is from LAL. 2. Scenario—Two tabletop scenarios from Jacksonville International Airport (JAX) and Reno- Tahoe International Airport (RSW) and presented in Appendices F and G; and two full-scale sce- narios from (Appendices H and I) are provided. The tabletop scenarios are from JAX and RSW, and the full-scale scenarios are from RNO and Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW). 3. Functional Drill—LAL conducts a monthly “no-notice” drill to test various emergency response functions. Appendix J presents a typical LAL scenario. 4. Planning Checklist—Two exercise planning checklists are provided, one for a TTX at RNO in Appendix K; and one for a full-scale exercise at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) in Appendix L. 5. Detailed Timeline—Appendix M presents the detailed timeline for the most recent full-scale exercise at Range Regional Airport in Hibbing, Minnesota (HIB). It uses HSEEP’s Master Scenario Events List format. 6. Exercise Brief—An exercise brief is a short statement describing the goals and nature of an exercise. It is given at the start of an exercise. A sample exercise brief from Joplin Regional Airport in Webb City, Missouri (JNL) is provided in Appendix N. 7. Exercise Communication Plan—Some airports in the study did not have written exercise communications plans. The airports that did have such plans have made them Sensitive Secu- rity Information (SSI). JAX shared the exercise communications plan that is reproduced in Appendix O. 8. Exercise Safety Plan—The exercise safety plan, extracted from an LAL full-scale exercise, is reproduced in Appendix Free-standing safety plans are apparently rare, as each exercise typically requires its own safety plan. 9. Evaluation Plan and Forms—Evaluation forms to be completed by exercise participants from RNO and Eugene (Oregon) Airport are reproduced in Appendices Q and R. Appendix S repro- duces RNO’s exercise evaluation checklist, which is detailed and extensive. 10. Post-Event Documentation—The three basic types of post-event documentation are hot wash summaries, after action reports, and improvement plans. Appendix T presents hot wash sum- maries from RNO (HSEEP format) and Appendix U presents the hot wash from EUG (meet- ing minutes format). Appendix V presents an after action report from JAX, and Appendix W is an improvement plan from LAL. Since after action report sand improvement plans are often combined, the table of contents for LAL’s most recent AAR/IP is reproduced (Appendix X). To show how all the basic HSEEP tools fit together for an airport full-scale exercise, the complete EUG plan for its 2014 triennial exercise is reproduced in Appendix Y. The only modification in the chapter five ENHANCING EXERCISES AT GENERAL AVIATION, NON-HUB AND SMALL HUB AIRPORTS

51 plan has been to remove heading styles. EUG uses HSEEP with only the bare minimum of local adaptations. ESSENTIAL AND DESIRABLE ELEMENTS TO ENHANCE EMERGENCY EXERCISES The results of the literature review, survey, case examples, and analysis of the sample exercise materials have been summarized in a checklist of 41 essential and desirable elements to enhance emergency exercises at GA, non-hub, and small hub airports. The checklist addresses exercise plan- ning, design, execution, and evaluation as well as methods to promote the application of lessons learned from exercises. The checklist is in Appendix Z. Examination of items in the checklist reveals the overwhelming importance that planning has in relation to a successful exercise program. Fortunately, many of the steps can be shortened by obtain- ing exercise materials from other airports or through partnerships with local emergency management agencies. Appendix AA provides a road map for the development of TTX or full-scale emergency exercises at airports. The road map is a concise extract from HSEEP. It is easier to do effective exercises with adequate funding, but an airport without a budget for exercises can create a highly effective exercise program by using free training opportunities and by working jointly with local, regional, state, and federal agencies in order to leverage and mobilize their resources. Aligning preparedness goals and building relationships cost nothing but can yield large benefits.