Crisis Simulation - City Council Case Study

What our client needed, what we created, how it worked

What our client needed

Our client, the Mayor’s office of a South East Asian capita,l was concerned that some foreign investors where being put off due to the city’s inadequate emergency response procedures and the poor liaison that took place between government and industry.  Continuity Planning was asked to develop and deliver a crisis simulation exercise which tested the ability of both business and the city council to respond to an emergency.

What we created

Having identified the specific terms of reference and resources available, Continuity Planning created a crisis simulation table-top exercise. This was designed for a combination of high level city officers from a variety of departments including the emergency services and senior business leaders. Since a major concern was how the city would respond to a major terrorist incident, we simulated a 200kg truck bomb exploding at a busy transport hub next to a major office block. In a board room environment we provided a lead-in including a bomb warning two hours before the event. Participants were made to offer the responses and talk through exactly what and how their departments would manage the event.

Continuity Planning used a variety of visual aids to pressure participants to react and we then conducted a thorough evaluation process. At the end of the exercise participants were asked to debrief each other before Continuity Planning staff delivered the final summary.

How it worked

The crisis simulation exercise demonstrated that the City was not able to respond effectively to a major incident. We found that no departments had up-to-date plans and any plans that did exist had never been tested. The membesr of the business community who were present realised that they would have to design more robust continuity plans.

Despite the negative findings of the exercise, it has provided the foundation for reviewing all aspects of the city’s emergency response procedure. The clear demonstration of failure in a controlled setting demonstrated serious flaws in the existing emergency response plans.

As a result of our post exercise report and recommendations, both the city and business are beginning to work together to deliver an effective response to crisis.

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