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Introduction

n emergency preparedness exercise program is progressive, moving an agency toward
A even better emergency preparedness. It requires careful planning, including clearly

identifying long-term improvement goals and specific exercise objectives and then
designing, developing, conducting, and evaluating each exercise accordingly. Following this Introduction
process will provide insight into what does and does not work for each specific local public
health agency (LPHA).

An exercise program enables an agency to test the implementation of emergency management
procedures and protocols, fine-tune the internal coordination of the emergency plan, and
practice coordinating with external response sectors. Depending on the scope and scale of the
emergency preparedness exercises, they may involve many individuals, both internal (from
within the LPHA) and external (from other response sectors).

The national framework for emergency preparedness began with Homeland Security
Presidential Directive 5 (HSPD-5), which directed the development of the National Response
Plan (NRP).This plan aligned federal coordination, capabilities, and resources into a multi-
discipline, all-hazards approach under a comprehensive incident management system known as
the National Incident Management System (NIMS).

HSPD-5 was followed by Homeland Security Presidential Directive 8 (HSPD-8), which put
forth the following National Preparedness Goal:“establish mechanisms for improved delivery
of Federal preparedness assistance to State and local governments” (www.LLIS.gov). Further,
an interim National Preparedness Goal prescribes a capabilities-based planning approach for a
wide range of threats and hazards.Among the capabilities-based planning tools available for
use in developing emergency preparedness exercises are a suite of 15 National Planning
Scenarios (Appendix D).

As a step toward strengthened preparedness, the Department of Homeland Security Office
of Domestic Preparedness (DHS ODP) developed and implemented an Exercise Evaluation
Program, HSEEP, to enhance and support prevention, response, and recovery capabilities at fed-
eral, state, and local levels.The program seeks to “standardize the language and concepts used
by various agencies and organizations in the exercise planning process” (DHS, 2002).This
toolkit is based on and consistent with the national goals, plans, and principles outlined above.

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