Homeland Security Exercise and

Evaluation Program Overview

Four Corners Emergency

Management ConferenceDecember 3, 2009

P r e se nt e d by Co nne B ur nha m ,

E x e r cise & E v a luat io n D e v e l o p m e nt Sp e cia l ist

Univ e r sit y o f M isso ur i E x t e nsio n, F ir e a nd R e scue

Tr a ining Inst it ut e

Exercise & Evaluation Process Background

Prior to HSEEP, FEMA used the following courses to teach exercise & evaluation: – FEMA – Exercise Design Course– FEMA – Evaluation Course

2002 DHS developed the Homeland Security Exercise & Evaluation Program These programs have recently been combined to standardize the language & concepts outlined in HSEEP.

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Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program

• Is the result of Homeland Security Presidential Directive #8 which outlines actions to strengthen preparedness capabilities of federal, state, and local entities; companion directive to HSPD 5 (NIMS).

• Uses capabilities-based planning as the basis for exercises.

• Provides a national standard for exercises

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Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program

• Identifies Gaps in Policy, Training & Equipment• Lays the Foundation for a Continuous Cycle of

Improvement Planning.• Maximizes the Value of Preparedness to

Communities.• Enables people to practice and gain experience in

their roles.• Improves organization’s systems for managing

emergencies.

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Capabilities-Based PlanningCapabilities-based planning is the heart of the exercise evaluation & improvement planning processBased on:

• The National Preparedness Guidelines• Universal Task List (UTL) – 1600 unique tasks• Target Capabilities List (TCL) – 37 specific

capabilities*Selected capabilities can be used to formulate exercise objectives

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Target Capabilities List Missions

• Prevent Mission – Info Gathering, Intel, etc• Protect Mission – Critical Infrastructure, CBRNE

Detection, etc• Respond Mission – On-Site Incident Mgmt, EOC,

etc.• Recover Mission - Structural Damage Assessment,

Economic and Community Recovery, etc• Common Capabilities – Planning, Commo, etc

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Evaluation and Improvement Planning

• HSEEP – 8 Steps– Steps 1- 4 Address Evaluation Planning,

Observation, & Analysis.Step 1 Plan & Organize the Evaluation (Part of the Exercise Design Process)Step 2 Observe the Exercise & Collect Data (Occurs during the Exercise)Step 3 Analyze Data (Evaluators use Exercise Evaluation Guides (EEGs) to analyze data & reconstruct exercise events.Step 4 Develop the Draft After Action Report (Describes what happened during the exercise, issues to be addressed, best practices, & recommendations)

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Evaluation and Improvement Planning

• HSEEP – 8 Steps– Steps 5 - 8 Focus on Using Information Gained

from Exercises to Implement Improvements to a Jurisdiction’s Capabilities.• Step 5 Conduct an After Action Conference

(Evaluators, Participating Agency Reps, Senior Officials Review Draft AAR, Define Actions to Improve Performance, Validate Recommendations)• Step 6 Identify Improvements to be

Implemented (During Conference, Attendees Identify Corrective Actions Captured on the Improvement Plan)

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Evaluation and Improvement Planning

• HSEEP – 8 Steps• Step 7 Finalize the After Action

Report/Improvement Plan (AAR/IP) (Exercise Planning & Evaluation Teams Incorporate Corrections, Clarifications, other feedback into AAR/IP)

• Step 8 Track Implementation (Each Agency or Jurisdiction Monitors Corrective Actions Identified in the final AAR/IP)

• Agencies/Jurisdictions will Use a Corrective Action Program (CAP) to Track & Record Progress on Corrective Actions

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HSEEP Tools and Resources• After Action Report/Improvement Plan

Template – Standard Template to Capture Recommendations for Post-Exercise Improvements & Defines Specific Corrective Actions

• Exercise Evaluation & Improvement Planning Guidance – Comprehensive Guidance on Evaluating & Documenting Exercises, & Improvement Plan Implementation

• Exercise Evaluation Guides (EEGs) – Consistent Standards & Guidelines for Observation, Data Collection, Analysis, & Report Writing

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Exercise Evaluation Guides• Correspond to the target capabilities list• Assist in Exercise Planning• Developed as tools to assist the evaluation

of the performance of the tasks, activities, and capabilities

• Are foundational to exercise evaluation, improvement plans, and corrective actions

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Exercise Evaluation Guides• Act as the primary reference to ensure all

jurisdictions/organizations evaluate exercises against the same measurable baseline

• Provide exercise evaluators with a manageable tool with which they can collect data during an exercise, in a format allowing the easy transfer of information to the AAR/IP

• Provide evaluators with consistent standards and guidelines for observation, data collection, analysis, and report writing

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Exercise Evaluation Guides• Used prior to, during, and after the exercise• Are used to analyze based on the following

criterion:– Mission – Prevention, Protection, Response,

Recovery– Capability – Identified in the Target Capability

List– Activity – Actions that support a specific

capability– Tasks – Specific, discrete actions that support a

specific activity. All tasks support the Universal Task List

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EEGs for Discussion-Based Exercises

• Discussion-based exercises, Seminars, Workshops, Tabletops, & Games, the Planning Team can use the performance measures, activities, and tasks for each capability’s EEG as questions to drive the exercise discussion. EEGs can also form the basis for customized discussion-based evaluation forms and Situation Manual (SitMan) content.

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EEGs for Operations-Based Exercises

• Operations - based exercises, Drills, Functionals, & Full-Scales, the Planning Team should select EEGs that correspond to key capabilities under evaluation. The team may choose to exercise all activities and tasks or a select number.

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Planning Conferences• Official Meetings held by a Planning Team to

Develop & Coordinate an exercise.• 5 Types of Planning Conferences– Concept & Objectives Meeting ( C&O) (may

be rolled into the Initial Planning Conference).

– Initial Planning Conference (IPC)– Mid-Term Planning Conference (MPC)– Master Scenario Events List (MSEL)

Conference– Final Planning Conference (FPC)

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Analysis• Discussion-based exercises:– Debrief with the exercise planning team,

facilitators, and evaluators is held immediately following the exercise

– Facilitator/Evaluator debrief takes place and preliminary analysis of the exercise observations begins

– The analysis is completed, outlining strengths & areas of improvement

– The draft AAR/IP is developed

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Analysis• Operations-based exercises: – Hot wash held immediately following the

exercise for players, facilitators, evaluators, and planning team

– Controller/Evaluator debrief takes place and preliminary analysis of the exercise observations begins

– Exercise event timeline is created – The analysis is completed, outlining strengths

& areas of improvement – The draft AAR/IP is developed

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Improvement Planning• An After Action Conference with planning

team, evaluators, controllers, and participating entities to discuss the draft AAR/IP is held

• AAR/IP finalized at the After Action Conference

• CAP process will be monitored for compliance

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