Ric Skinner   •   over 15 years ago

"Formidable Footprint" Online Tabletop Exercise Series

"Formidable Footprint" (www.drc-group.com/project/footprint.html) has been submitted as a Challenge Project. However, since judging won't begin until Jan. 3 it is unlikely it will get visibility on this website unless selected as a winner and announced Jan. 26.  The following is a summary of Formidable Footprint.A team of national, regional and state organizations has undertaken an effort to develop, facilitate and evaluate a series of disaster exercises for community/neighborhood based organizations entitled "Formidable Footprint - A  Neighborhood  Tabletop Exercise".This series of exercises will serve as an opportunity for:    * Citizen Corps    * Community Emergency Response Teams    * Map Your Neighborhood Teams    * Neighborhood Associations    * Neighborhood Emergency Response Teams    * Neighborhood Watchesalong with other community and neighborhood organizations to assess the ability of neighborhood residents to work together to prepare for, respond to and recover from a variety of natural disasters which can affect the lives of neighborhood  residents.There is NO CHARGE to participate in one or several of the neighborhood exercises.The series of Formidable Footprint tabletop exercises will be facilitated via the internet based ON-Line eXercise (ONX) System (onxsystem.com) which will allow each participating community/neighborhood group to take part in the exercise from a computer in a neighbor's home, at a community center or local church, and from any geographic location."Formidable Footprint" online tabletop exercises are designed to help America's neighborhoods become better prepared for the next disaster and are supported by a growing list of "Exercise Partners". As of Dec. 8 the list of Exercise Partners includes:Adams County Emergency Management Department; Alachua County Emergency Management Department; American Red Cross Martin County Chapter; Ankeny Fire Department; Bethel Office of Emergency Management; Big Bend COAD; CEMA; BRACE; Cumberland County Emergency Management Agency; Dearfield Beach CERT; Depiction; EDU4DRR; EM Forum; FEMV; Greater Tampa CERT; Groton Office of Emergency Management; Henderson Road Neighborhood Association; Ho-Ho-Kus CERT; Holden CERT; It's A Disaster; Jupiter CERT; Lakewood Ranch CERT; Los Angeles CERT; Maguire Group; Manatee County Emergency Management; Marrowstone Island Emergency Preparedness; Matanuska Susitna Borough Office of Emergency Management; Navarre CERT; New Castle County Citizen Corps; New Castle County Office; of Emergency Managment; Newark CERT; Palm Coast CERT; Pinellas Hilsborough Pasco COAD; Plumbago Volunteer Services; ProPacl; Santa Barbara County VOAD; Seminole County CERT; The Stoneybrook Group LLC; Volunteer Florida; Volunteer Leon; Wakulla County Emergency Management Department; Waterlefe CERT.Exercise ScenariosThe scheduled online tabletop exercise scenarios (January - June 2011) will include: Earthquake, Flood, Tornado, Wildfire, Pandemic, and Hurricane. Each scenario will have a full HSEEP designed 3-hour exercise devoted to neighborhood actions that would need to be taken to reduce damage and loss of life and to assist in disaster response and recovery.Recognizing that GIS is an important tool for Situational Awareness and a Common Operational Picture, the Formidable Footprint exercise series will incorporate  mapping and simulation materials to provide participants with exercise relevant maps with which they can interact, making the exercise more real and meaningful.A summary of the After Action Report from the Oct. 30 Formidable Footprint Hurricane tabletop exercise, in which 137 individuals and groups from 21 states participated, is posted at the bottom of www.drc-group.com/project/footprint.html. For more information or to register for one or more of the online tabletop exercises go to www.drc-group.com/project/footprint.html, or contact Chris Floyd, Disaster Resistant Communities Group (chrisfloyd@drc-group.com) or Ric Skinner, The Stoneybrook Group (ric.skinner@gmail.com).