By: Adrian Courtenay
Paul Goldenberg
In a growing national trend, tabletop exercises for disaster
preparation are increasingly being embraced by elected officials and
their stakeholders at all levels of government as powerful tools in the
creation of preparedness plans for dealing with man-made or natural
disasters.
Tabletop exercises have been championed by DHS at the federal
level since shortly after 9/11, but in the post-Hurricane Sandy era of
2013, there has been a growing realization that disaster
preparedness requires total community involvement. Government
officials are now being joined in the exercises by community leaders,
private sector companies, faith-based organizations and other
stakeholders.
The term “tabletop exercises” refers to the use of simulated crises or
emergency situations that are designed to measure preparedness of
officials, test the resiliency of the community’s response and ensure
that all stakeholders in the community — from law enforcement, first
responders and public safety personnel to schools, hospitals, private
sector and critical infrastructure — understand their roles and the
roles of others in dealing with an emergency. The exercises also
“stress-test” plans to identify gaps and areas that may require
improvements.
According to Paul Goldenberg, CEO of New Jersey-based Cardinal
Point Strategies, and a long-time proponent, tabletop exercises are
powerful tools to use in getting a shared emergency response plan in
place in a state, county or municipal community, and to identify
shortfalls in managerial capabilities. The plan, according to
Goldenberg, is something that has to be established before an
emergency takes place, so the community can be sure it is prepared
when a catastrophe occurs.
“Who knew before Hurricane Sandy struck in 2012 that the roller
coaster at Seaside Park, New Jersey would be under 10 feet of
water, or that most of Staten Island and lower Manhattan, including
the subways, would be flooded? Or that a town in Quebec would see
50 of its citizens killed in a train wreck?”
“Elected officials do not typically think about disasters and emergency
response when they decide to run for office and start campaigning,”
said Goldenberg. “But when they are sworn in and given the keys to
the city, it may not dawn on them until too late that with those keys
come tremendous responsibility and, in fact, their decisions during a
catastrophic event may also determine who lives and dies. They soon
realize that they will be responsible and accountable for the outcome
— and the outcome is going to depend on how well they pulled
together law enforcement, first responders, schools and hospitals,
and engaged everyone in the community.”
In a moving affirmation of the complexity of disaster preparedness
exercises and the need for a whole community approach, Bill Akers,
mayor of Seaside Heights, NJ, was recently quoted in the Newark
Star Ledger in commenting on his community’s handling of
Superstorm Sandy. “I could have done a lot better… I was
overwhelmed… I should have delegated instead of thinking I could
coordinate everything myself,” he said.
According to Paul Goldenberg, there are still many elected officials,
county executives, mayors, city managers and other leaders who are
admittedly ill-equipped and woefully unprepared to respond to,
manage and lead through a crisis or disaster that impacts their
community. Large-scale crises and disasters, both natural and manmade, know no jurisdictional or geographic boundaries and require a
“whole of community” approach and response.
“In every case,” he said, “these incidents require leadership and
capacity to meet the fundamental components of crisis and
emergency management; namely, protection, prevention, response
and recovery. A pro-active approach to preparedness requires
forward-thinking, informed decision making and active problem
solving, as well as coordination, collaboration and cooperation with
the federal, state, local and private sector partners and stakeholders.”
Another point that needs to be remembered, according to
Goldenberg, is that DHS, FEMA and the FBI, while all very effective,
are not first responder agencies. “In the first 36 hours,” he said,
“you’re on your own. They’re a complement to what citizens and first
responders can do.” So, the job of saving lives depends on the plan.
Who is in charge? Which agency is the lead?
“The key to a successful tabletop exercise,” Goldenberg continued,
“is the facilitator who is responsible for eliciting questions and
directing dialogue between stakeholders and enabling interaction
among participants.”