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Drills
A drill is a coordinated, supervised activity usually
employed to validate a specific operation or function
in a single agency or organization. Drills are commonly
used to provide training on new equipment, develop or
test new policies or procedures, or practice and maintain
current skills. Drills are narrow in scope and typically
focus on a specific aspect of an operation. For example,
drills are appropriate for assessing response time to
an alarm, checking the ability of a guard to use a metal
detector, or determin¬ing if a 911 operator can
appropriately direct a call reporting suspicious behavior
that may involve terrorism. Drills can be used to determine
if plans can be executed as designed, to assess whether
more training is required, or to reinforce best practices.
In addition to being useful as a stand-alone tool, a
series of individual agency drills can also be used
to prepare several agencies to collaborate in a Full
Scale Exercise (FSE). For example, plans for an FSE
may involve a response to a simulated radiological dispersal
device detonation that results in radioactively contaminated
mass casualties and a crime scene. Preparatory drills
for this exercise might include:
- A decontamination drill for firefighters and EMTs
to practice and demonstrate decontamination procedures
- A “hot line” management drill for law
enforcement officials and firefighters to practice
investigation and collection of evidence in a radioactive
environment
- A hospital triage drill to practice receiving potentially
contaminated patients
Typical attributes of drills include:
- Narrow focus, results measured against established
standards
- Instant feedback
- Realistic environment
- Performance in isolation
- Preparation for exercises that are larger in
scope (i.e., full-scale exercises)
For every drill, clearly defined plans, policies, and
procedures need to be in place. Personnel need to be
familiar with those plans and policies, and to be trained
in the processes and produced to be a drill.
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