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Exercise Cycle and Organization

HSEEP requires that each state define a cycle, mix, and range of exercises in a multiyear
exercise plan that covers the wide range of natural and deliberately caused emergencies that
might occur. State and local public health agencies should participate in multiagency exercises,
particularly those exercises with public health significance. For example, the requirement for a
statewide Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) plan would be demonstrated through a tabletop
exercise, then a functional exercise, followed by a full-scale exercise (Types of Exercises, page 4).

State Responsibilities Exercise Cycle and Organization

Each state is expected to develop its own exercise program based on the guidelines provided
by DHS.The program must address all of the tasks laid out by the federal guidelines, including

1. obtaining grants/funding 6. designating a state-level agency/organiza-
2. identifying roles and responsibilities for tion as the clearinghouse for all exercises
program development conducted within the state
3. designing, developing, implementing, and 7. conducting an annual workshop to review
evaluating exercises the state exercise program, ensuring that the
state objectives have been met and revising
4. tracking improvements
the multiyear exercise plan and schedule
5. monitoring whether the exercises conducted
are consistent with HSEEP doctrine

Local Responsibilities

States disseminate their requirements to local jurisdictions by two routes: through the local
emergency response agency, which has a direct tie to the designated state Office of
Emergency Management, and through the state health agency. On the local level, there are
many response sectors with which the public health sector needs to plan and coordinate its
exercise activities.These activities are common to all response sectors. In general, LPHAs are
responsible for

1. coordinating activities with the state health 4. providing the plans, procedures, and per-
agency sonnel to support the design, development,
2. identifying goals and objectives for exercises support, control, and evaluation of public
consistent with local public health risk, health exercises
vulnerability, and needs assessments, as well 5. providing an Improvement Plan (IP) that is
as DHS strategy based on the recommendations made in
3. designing and conducting exercises that the After Action Report (AAR), which is
conform to HSEEP requirements issued following the completion of an
exercise

3