Emergency Management Assistance Compact Public Health and Medical Tabletop Exercise Introduction

Thank You for Being Here!  Emergency exits  Restroom facilities  Breaks and lunch  Cell phones, pagers, radios on vibrate  Please clean up after yourself  In case of actual event: “TERMINATE EXERCISE” 2

Welcome and Introductions 3

Target Exercise Schedule 8:00 a.m.Registration 8:30 a.m.Welcome, Introductions, and Exercise Overview 9:00 a.m.Module 1: Overview of Mission Ready Packages 9:45 a.m.Module 2: Devastating Floods and Contamination 11:00 a.m.Module 3: Continuing Effects 11:45 a.m.Review and Hotwash 4

What is EMAC?  Nationally adopted interstate mutual aid agreement (MAA) Enables States and territories to share resources Ratified by Congress in 1996  All 50 states have enacted EMAC into law District of Columbia, U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Guam are EMAC members 5

What is EMAC? (cont.)  Has grown to become Nation’s preferred system for providing mutual aid Use of standardized operational procedures and protocols Validated during disasters 6

Exercise Purpose To provide public health and medical communities and EMAs with a tool to accurately measure and validate procedural and operational abilities to function under and coordinate an EMAC deployment in response to a catastrophic disaster and enhance understanding of EMAC reimbursement parameters 7

Exercise Scope  Based on a regional, catastrophic, natural- hazard incident (e.g., major flooding)  Focus on phases of the EMAC process 8

Core Capabilities  Planning  Operational Coordination  Threats and Hazard Identification  Public and Private Services and Resources  Situational Assessment  Operational Security and Protection 9

Exercise Objectives 1.Participants discuss the EMAC process, focusing on Resource Typing and Mission Ready Packages. 2.Participants address problems (standards of care, credentialing, response structure integration, etc.) deploying/receiving specialized public health and medical resources during a catastrophic disaster and discuss solutions for said problems 10

Exercise Objectives (cont.) 3.Participants address management and safety of mission personnel who are activated and operational, including: a.Procedures in place to prepare mission personnel for incident-specific hazards b.Procedures in place for reception of deployed personnel and evaluation of their readiness for duty c.Maintaining knowledge of mission status for deployed resources 11

Participants  Players Respond using knowledge of response procedures, current plans and procedures, and training insights  Observers Act as passive, rather than active, participants May contribute to the evaluation process  Facilitators Provide situation updates and moderate discussions Provide additional information or resolve questions Key planning committee members may also assist with facilitation as SMEs 12

Exercise Structure  Module 1: Overview of Mission Ready Packages  Module 2: Devastating Floods and Contamination  Module 3: Continuing Effects 13

Exercise Structure (cont.)  Each module begins with multimedia update summarizing key events  Participants review situation and engage in functional group discussions of appropriate response issues  Participants enter into moderated caucus discussion, with a spokesperson from each group presenting a synopsis of the group’s actions 14

Exercise Guidelines  This is an open, low-stress, and no-fault environment. Varying viewpoints and disagreements are expected. Do not be afraid to ask questions.  Exercise is meant to evaluate organizational readiness, not participants. You are encouraged to address actions that would simulate how your jurisdiction would respond in the actual scenario (gather information from other tables, pull groups together, etc.).  Respond based on your knowledge of current plans and capabilities (i.e., you may use only existing assets) and insights derived from training. 15

Exercise Guidelines (cont.)  Focus on problem solving. Issue identification and scenario minutiae are not as valuable as suggestions and recommended actions that could improve the intrastate mutual-aid process as well as EMAC policies and procedures.  Decisions are not precedent-setting and may not reflect an organization’s final position on a given issue. This is an opportunity to discuss and present multiple options and possible solutions.  List options for solutions if no policy or plan exists. 16

Exercise Guidelines (cont.)  Situation updates, written materials, and resources are primary bases for discussion. There will be some focused questions by the facilitators/controller to determine root causes and solutions to problems.  Exercise participants that might not have an active role in EMAC operations and coordination may still have leadership, policy, and accountability responsibilities for their own agency's staff and/or resources throughout such an incident(s). 17

Assumptions and Artificialities  Scenario is plausible, and events occur as they are presented  No hidden agendas or trick questions  All players receive information at same time 18

Questions? 19