Blackout Table Top Exercise

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Blackout Table Top Exercise

<Facilitator Name><Organization Name>

<Date>

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About This Tool• This tool is the result of a collaboration between the Primary Care

Development Corporation (PCDC) and the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC).

• It is intended to provide primary care centers, including community health centers, an easy to use tool to test and improve their business continuity plans.

• For assistance, questions or more information on this and other business continuity and emergency preparedness tools and resources, please contact PCDC (www.pcdc.org or 212-437-3900) or NACHC (www.nachc.org or xxx-xxx-xxxx)

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Today’s Agenda• Review information about table top exercises

• Table Top Exercise– Scenario injects– Group decision and discussion

• Facilitator directed questions

• Hotwash

• Next Steps– After Action Report (AAR)– Corrective Action Plan (CAP)

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What is a Table Top Exercise (TTX)• A Tabletop Exercise, also known as a TTX, is one type of exercise

held in an informal setting intended to generate discussion of various issues regarding a hypothetical, simulated emergency incident.

• TTXs can be used to:– Enhance general awareness– Validate plans and procedures– Assess the types of systems needed to guide prevention of, protection from, response

to, and recovery from a defined incident.

• Goals of TTXs include:– Facilitating concept understanding– Identifying strengths & weaknesses– Achieving changes in attitudes.

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Types of Exercises

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Why do a TTX?• Testing the plan, not the people

• Key organizational personnel discuss simulated scenarios in an informal setting

• Assist in the promotion of understanding related concepts

• Used to assess plans, policies, procedures or the systems employed by the organization – Highlight strengths and areas for improvement within current plans, policies and

procedures

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Exercise Roles• Facilitator

– Facilitates the exercise

• Participants (Players)– Key Staff & Decision Makers– External Agencies– Elected / Appointed Officials

• Evaluators– Observe behavior in relation to plans & procedures– Record Information without leading Players– Report observations

• Observers– Observe exercise; No interaction in exercise play

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Hotwash, After Action Report (AAR), & Corrective Action Plan (CAP)

• Hotwash– A debrief with the exercise planning team, controllers & evaluators held immediately following the

exercise.

– Allows controllers and evaluators to collect observations and thoughts about the conduct of the exercise which leads to the development of preliminary analyses of exercise observations.

• After Action Report (AAR)– Chronological narrative of discussion for each capability & associated activities

– Highlight both strengths and areas for improvement

– Identify discussion points relevant to your site’s ability to carry out the activities

– Demonstrate the capabilities being exercised

• Corrective Action Plan (CAP)– Corrective actions are the concrete, actionable steps outlined in improvement plans that are

intended to resolve preparedness gaps and shortcomings experienced in exercises or real-world incidents.

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TTX Objectives & Capabilities• For the purposes of this Table Top, our site is focused on testing the

following capabilities:

• The objectives of today’s Table Top are: • Describe 1-3

SMART goals for the exercise.

• SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely

• Be sure to delete this box prior to the TTX

• Describe 1-3 capabilities of your BCP that you are testing for this TTX.

• Capabilities can include certain business processes, BIA’s, or disruptive action policies

• Be sure to delete this box prior to the TTX

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TTX Intent• This tabletop exercise was specifically developed to identify gaps in

business continuity plans

• The intent of this TTX will be to specifically target the discussion of business continuity operations and response to an emergency event.

• Processes, discussion and decision-making are more important than minute details.

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BCP Topics to Consider During TTX• BIA Report

• HVA Report

• Incident Management Plan

• Communications Plan– Emergency Notification Plan– Risk Communications Policy

• Procedures– Disruption Actions– Individual Business Impact Analysis Forms

• Appendices– Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs)– Key Contacts, Vendors & Suppliers– Other Important Documents

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TTX Play• Table Top Exercise

– Scenario injects– Group discussion and decision

• Facilitator directed questions

• Hotwash

• Next Steps– After Action Report (AAR)– Corrective Action Plan (CAP)

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Remember…• Accept the artificialities of the scenario

– “Fight the problem not the scenario”

• Remember you are testing the plan, not the people– There are no right or wrong answers

• Consider your current plan, facility, capacity & capabilities

• There will be time for group problem-solving, discussion and decision-making• Even though a TTX is a “discussion-based” exercise, you will need to make actual decisions at the

end of each discussion

• Makes notes on your response

• Please direct all questions to the facilitator/controller

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TTX Scenario• Day 1

• Tuesday in August at 11:00 am

• The weather is hot and sunny and the local government has issued a heat advisory for the remainder of the week

• The site is experiencing a normal to high patient volume

• The site is running with 80% of normal staff due to employee vacation. All systems are running smoothly

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TTX: Module 1• Day 1


• Suddenly the site experiences a loss of power

• The interior of the site is receiving only natural light, where available

• A few people yell out when the power goes out. A few of them remain agitated after the initial loss of light.

• DISCUSS & DECIDE (5 minutes)• Discuss how you would response based on the above injects• Make decisions based on current plans and capabilities

Photo Credit: http://phoenix.fanster.com/2009/10/29/the-sports-retorter-cardinals-fans-and-blackouts-used-to-be-a-normal-occurrence/

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• Preliminary reports are that it is a widespread black out of unknown cause.

• A neighbor informs your staff that they heard the power would be restored in 1-2 hours.

• Patients continue to arrive for regular appointments

• Some of the patients in the building refuse to leave

• Some staff have begun gathering in the reception area wondering what to do


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• Tuesday in August at 12:30 pm

• The electric company is estimating power restoration in 1-2 hours

• Scheduled patients continue to show up at the office for appointments

• A non-patient enters the building complaining of being overheated and faint

• Unconfirmed reports of libraries, child care centers, day camps, summer school, etc. are being closed and children are being sent home


Photo Credit: http://www.sumitomocorp.co.jp/english/news/2008/20080922_095736.html/

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• Tuesday in August at 2:00 pm

• The electric company is now estimating that power will not be restored for 24-48 hours

• Fewer scheduled patients show up at the office for appointments however walk in visits due to heat issues are rising


Photo Credit: http://fulltimerver.com/dont-let-summer-injuries-spoil-your-rving//

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• Thursday in August at 11:30 am

• 48 hours since the initial blackout, the electric company restores power to the entire neighborhood but requests everyone to conserve energy for the remainder of the week

• Paper files, reports, notes, faxes, etc. are piled up in the office

• No site equipment requiring electricity has been used since the blackout


Photo Credit: http://www.greatcircle.com.au/2007/09/28/clean-desk-clear-head/

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Activity: Hotwash• What did you learn from the TTX today about your site and your

BCP?– What areas of your BCP are well developed?

– What areas of you BCP need improvement?

– What are your next steps?

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Next Steps• The site will use the information gathered from the hotwash

discussion to complete a draft version of the After Action Report (AAR), including a Corrective Action Plan (CAP).

• The draft version will be circulated to site staff for feedback. The feedback will be incorporated into a final draft of the AAR & CAP.

• Staff will meet for an After Action Conference (AAC) where the final draft will be approved and plans to implement the CAP will be adopted.

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QUESTIONS?

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