Continuing the Training and Exercise Planning Workshop (TEPW) preparation so that each of you will be able to schedule exercises that test your highest priority core capabilities, allow me to give you the “bare essentials” of what you will need to do before attending the TEPW.

You should already possess an assessment of your jurisdictions and/or agency’s capabilities against whatever threat and/or hazard are of highest priority for you to prevent, protect against, respond to, mitigate, and recover from (State or local THIRA report). This assessment needs to be viewed against your recent (up to two years) after action reports (AAR) from exercises you took part in demonstrating what gaps in capability may still exist. The improvement plan (IP) of that report lays out corrective actions needing attention, identifying the programmatic solution using the POETE model (Planning, Organization, Equipment, Training, and Exercise).

Other jurisdictions and/or agencies will come to the TEPW prepared with the knowledge of what specific core capabilities (of the 31 we have) they want to test in future exercises. They will also come to the TEPW understanding the threats and hazards they are most likely to face (THIRA). Using this information and after a short briefing on the TEPW process, all participants will be required to place on a three-year “Multi-Year” Training and Exercise Plan template approximately when each wishes to have an exercise, what type of exercise they desire (one of three operational types or one of four discussion types), and the threat and/or hazard that causes the need for emergency response. As each participant does this, other participants will review the growing three-year schedule and want to collaborate together with others for efficiency and effectiveness (and saving some time, effort, and perhaps funding). This collaboration helps complete the schedule.

Each exercise can, should, and will be designed at the proper time within the three-year schedule using a coordinated “team effort,” accepting each participating jurisdiction’s and/or agency’s core capabilities in the planning process. Doing it this way creates and sustains the “Whole Community” concept of planning, training, and exercising together for the benefit of the community.

The TEPW hosting agency will create the draft of the three-year schedule and gain approval of the participants for the final Multi-Year Training and Exercise Plan (MY-TEP). This plan can be modified as necessary changes occur, however, if there is a need for a change the TEPW hosting agency will need this updated information from you in order to keep the schedule as accurate as possible. Others may view this schedule and want to “join” you in your exercise planning and conduct as the time nears. This is why it is so important to create and sustain the most accurate schedule possible. The final TEP becomes the equivalent of an AAR for all participants. A TEPW is a Workshop – and one of the exercises you get credit for having participated in.

The State Training Officer, Michele Candee, mcandee@dps.state.nv.us, is a great resource to ask about your training needs. As always, I am available to answer all questions regarding exercise planning needs.

Remember, FEMA published the new HSEEP Guidance document and the new Core Capability Exercise Evaluation Guides at: https://www.llis.dhs.gov/content/hseep-doctrine-and-templates

For comments and or questions feel free to email me at: tcary@dps.state.nv.us

Best Regards, 
Tim Cary