Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP)

Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program

(HSEEP)

SELF-HELP GUIDE

AGENCY LOGO

Introduction

• You need help…let’s face it. • Homeland Security Exercise and

Evaluation Program or HSEEP for short.• A federal requirement for those agencies

that receive funding through the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

The 15 National Planning Scenarios

• Reflect common vulnerabilities

• Have been designed to test capabilities

• Scenarios are flexible and can be applied to a range of response levels

The Scenarios1: Nuclear Detonation – 10-Kiloton Improvised

Nuclear Device2: Biological Attack – Aerosol Anthrax3: Biological Disease Outbreak – Pandemic

Influenza4: Biological Attack – Plague5: Chemical Attack – Blister Agent6:Chemical Attack– Toxic Industrial Chemicals7: Chemical Attack – Nerve Agent8: Chemical Attack – Chlorine Tank Explosion

The Scenarios (cont.)

9: Natural Disaster – Major Earthquake10: Natural Disaster – Major Hurricane11: Radiological Attack – Radiological

Dispersal Devices12: Explosives Attack – Bombing Using

Improvised Explosive Devices13: Biological Attack – Food Contamination14: Biological Attack – Foreign Animal

Disease (Foot and Mouth Disease) 15: Cyber Attack

Target Capabilities & the Universal Task List are

Derived from these Scenarios

https://hseep.dhs.gov/pages/1001_HSEEP7.aspx


Toolkit Strengths

• Stores exercise data• Repeat exercises• Basic information is automated.• Writing and rewriting tasks are

reduced.• Exercises stick to the INITIAL

objectives (No “mission-creep.”) • It’s official!

What is HSEEP Compliance?

• Training and Exercise Plan Workshop (TEPW)

• Exercise Planning and Conduct

• After-Action Reporting

• Improvement Planning

Training and Exercise Plan Workshop (T&EPW)

Includes:• The entities' training and exercise

priorities (based on an overarching strategy and previous improvement plans.)

• The capabilities from the TCL that the entity will train for and exercise against.

• A multi-year training and exercise schedule.

Exercise Planning and Conduct

• The type of exercise selected by the entity should be

consistent with the entity's Multi-year Training and

Exercise Plan.

• Exercise objectives should be based on target

capabilities and their associated critical tasks, which are

contained within the EEGs.

• The scenarios used in exercises must be tailored toward

validating the capabilities, and should be based on the

entity's risk/vulnerability assessment.


Site Liaison

Documents created (when appropriate)

• For Discussion-based Exercises (e.g., TTX):– Situation Manual (SITMAN)

• For Operations-based Exercises this requires (e.g., Full-Scale):– Exercise Plan (EXPLAN)– Player Handout– Master Scenario Events List (MSEL)– Controller/Evaluator Handbook (C/E Handbook)

SITMAN should include- at a minimum

• Schedule of events• Purpose and scope• Design objectives• Exercise structure• Instructions for

exercise conduct• Roles and

responsibilities

• Assumptions and artificialities

• Exercise rules• Scenario• Participant

questions• Reference

appendices

After-Action Reporting

• Following every exercise, an After-Action Conference (AAC) must be conducted, in which:– Key personnel and the exercise planning team are

presented with findings and recommendations from the draft AAR/IP.

– Corrective actions addressing a draft AAR/IP's recommendations are developed and assigned to responsible parties with due dates for completion.

• A final AAR/IP with recommendations and corrective actions derived from discussion at the AAC must be completed within 60 days after the completion of each exercise.1

1 This can be shorter based on grant/agency.

Improvement Planning

• An improvement plan will include broad recommendations from the AAR/IP organized by target capability as defined in the Target Capabilities List (TCL).

• Corrective actions must be linked to a capability element as defined in the TCL.

• Corrective actions must be measurable.• Corrective actions must designate a projected

start date and completion date. • Corrective must be assigned to an organization

and a point of contact within that organization.

Improvement Plan (IP)Appendix A: Improvement Plan Worksheet Controller/Evaluator Jane Doe

2- Triage, vaccination, and waiting areas should be more separate

2.1 clearly identify functional areas of POD

2.1.1 Evaluate and Revise floor plan to separate functional

Equip and Systems

LPHA Jane Doe or

designee

TBD

Equip and Systems

LPHAMass Prophylaxis- Setup/Takedown

1- Adequate vaccination and draw-up staffing

1.1 none 1.1.1

2- Area Command not established beforehand and unclear how to communicate

2.1 Improve planning in the area of Area Command

2.1.1. Establish sites, communication, and org chart for a

Personnel LPHA Jane Doe or

designee

TBD

Personnel LPHAMass Propylaxis- Incident Command

1- Incident Commander was accessible to Command Staff

none 1.1.1

This IP has been developed specifically for ___________ as a result of 2007 Statewide POD Squad Exercise conducted on Nov. 17th, 2007. These recommendations draw on both the After Action Report and the After Action Conference. [The IP should include the key recommendations and corrective actions identified in Chapter 3: Analysis of Capabilities, the After Action Conference, and the EEGs. The IP has been formatted to align with the Corrective Action Program System. ]

Capability Observation Title RecommendationCorrective

Action Capability Element

Primary Responsible

Agency POC

Start DateCompletion

Date


How do I get Started?

• The first step in any Self-Help program is to acknowledge that you have a problem and you need to seek help. – Other trained agencies, staff, or your State Office

of Homeland Security is a good place to begin.

• Moving toward accessing resources for that help is a step in the right direction. – See the Self-Help packet for references and

online links to helpful tools and documents.

What type of HSEEP Exercise do I do?

• Discussions-based Exercises – Seminar– Workshop– Tabletop (TTX)– Games

• Operations-based Exercises – Drill – Functional Exercise (FE)– Full-Scale Exercises (FSE)

Levels of Exercise design

• Seminar: Think teaching strategies/styles.• Workshop: Plan writing workshop with the goal of arriving

at a product at the end. • Tabletop Exercise (TTX): Typically in groups that will use a

scenario and test hypothetical policies/procedures. • Games/Drills: Coordinated supervised activity that

practices the use of equipment, protocols or plans. • Functional Exercises: Simulated events when you are

testing actual operations. Not all functional exercise tests every function.

• Full Scale Exercise: Multi-agency and multi-jurisdictional

players respond as if it were an actual incident.

“Well begun is half done!”-Mary Poppins

• An Excel spreadsheet: – Name, Agency, Phone Number, and Email

• Exercise Objectives:– Review the Target Capabilities List

• Exercise Evaluation Guides- EEG’s – Download from:

https://hseep.dhs.gov/pages/1002_EEGLi.aspx

• Gather General Information: Time, Date, Maps, etc…

• Set up a system for sharing files/documents in planning the exercise:– A Resource Binder – FTP address (inter-agency file sharing- talk to your IT).– Create a Reference list for players

HSEEP Resources

• HSEEP Classes are offered regularly. Check with the Division of Emergency Management, or your State Office of Homeland Security for information regarding their training program.

• HSEEP https://hseep.dhs.gov/• HSEEP Toolkit:– https://hseep.dhs.gov/DHS_SSO/?ReturnUrl=

%2fhseep_em%2fToolkitHome.aspx

HSEEP Toolkit

https://hseep.dhs.gov/pages/1002_EEGLi.aspx

Begin an Exercise using the Toolkit

• For questions regarding the HSEEP Toolkit Systems (to include system access) please contact:

HSEEP Toolkit Help Desk(877) 612-HELP (4357)[email protected]

• Call and obtain your password• Login to the Toolkit• Create an exercise following the prompts

Other Resources

• Plague: http://www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/plague/trainingmodule/powerpoint.asp

• Water system: http://www.epa.gov/safewater/watersecurity/tools/trainingcd/Pages/scenario1-s.html

• Hospital surge: http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/bhpp/bhpp-train-hospital.shtml