Exercises

Exercises are intended to evaluate our plans, processes, and procedures. All Texas A&M departments and units are strongly encouraged to participate in at least one annual exercise to assess their emergency and continuity plans at the departmental or unit level.

CALL 911 IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY.

Call 911 for immediate help in case of police, fire or medical emergencies. Call 979-845-4311 (5-4311 from a campus phone) for facilities emergencies.

Types of Exercises

Emergency Management at Texas A&M University designs and facilitates many levels of exercises on campus and participates in community-wide exercises. These exercises can be categorized into two main types: discussion-based and operations-based.

Discussion-Based

Seminar - A seminar introduces and educates participants about new or existing plans, policies, or procedures. This type of exercise is very casual.
Workshop - A workshop focuses on creating a written product, such as a new or updated plan. This exercise is more hands-on and interactive.
Tabletop Exercise (TTX) - A tabletop exercise is used to identify strengths and areas for improvement in our plans and enhance understanding of new concepts. This type of exercise requires a facilitator and includes in-depth discussions.
Game - Games are a simulation of operations that often involve teams and use rules, data, and procedures to depict an actual or assumed real-life situation. The goal of a game is to explore decision-making processes and their consequences. A game differs from a tabletop game in that the sequence of events affects and is in turn affected by players' decisions.

Operations-Based

Drill - A drill is a low-level exercise that tests, develops, or maintains skills in a single emergency response procedure.
Functional - This type of exercise assesses and evaluates a specific aspect of a plan. It involves various functions and simulates resource deployment in a high-stress environment.
Full-Scale - This exercise assesses and evaluates plans under simulated crisis conditions. It includes mobilizing units, personnel, equipment, and resources during a scripted scenario that creates a realistic and stressful environment.

Interested in Running Your Own Tabletop Exercise?

Your department or unit can conduct a tabletop exercise focused on an emergency scenario relevant to your organization. While designing a tabletop exercise may seem daunting, the Emergency Management team is here to support you. We offer a variety of resources, including online training, to help you design and facilitate your own tabletop exercise. If you need additional help, feel free to email us at emergencymanagement@tamu.edu.

Tabletop Exercise Planning (Online Training Course)

After-Action Review

The purpose of an after-action review is to analyze the management of or response to an incident, exercise, or event. The goal is to identify strengths that can be maintained and expanded, and to pinpoint areas for potential improvement. As improvement actions are identified and implemented, updating any relevant plans, policies, and procedures is crucial.

After-Action Reports (AARs) are created following exercises or incidents to evaluate the effectiveness of our plans, policies, and procedures during the scenario or situation. We identify the strengths we should maintain and build upon, and areas that require improvement. These areas for improvement are documented in an Improvement Plan to ensure that our plans, policies, and procedures are updated accordingly.

For more information on conducting an after-action review and completing an after-action report, please refer to the resources below:

Texas A&M University Online Guide for Completing an After-Action Review/Report
After-Action Report Template (Word Doc)
After-Action Report - COVID-19 Example (Word Doc)