On Tuesday, October 8, MEMA staff visited the Marion Police Department and facilitated a tabletop exercise with participants from the police and fire departments, Department of Public Works, Council on Aging, Public Information, Board of Health, Sippican Elementary School, and Community Emergency Response Team.
A tabletop exercise is a part of MEMA training that tests emergency response plans using a hypothetical event. This can also assess the level of readiness through discussion.
Marion’s exercise involved a weather-related event, specifically a snowstorm, which tested the town’s emergency response plans. Officials were tasked with responding to a real-world situation based on current town plans, policies, and procedures.
“These exercises are valuable to assess our emergency response plans and help us identify possible areas for improvement,” Chief Nighelli said. “Town officials are committed to ensuring we are prepared for any situation, and we see value in these discussion-based activities.”
The scenario evolved through three modules.
Module one focused on the incoming storm and preliminary forecast, the possible resulting conditions such as power outages and storm surges, and the needed preparations.
Module two added new and evolving circumstances such as high wind gusts and quickly accumulating snow, a vehicle crash with leaking fuel, power outages and phone problems, impassable roadways, a structure fire, carbon monoxide emergencies, and downed live wires and trees throughout town.
Module three focused on the aftermath when the inclement weather had passed but added factors, including blocked roadways preventing emergency access to facilities and ongoing power outages.
During each module, participants were asked to consider their agency’s current priorities, sheltering operations and logistics, staffing and agency resources, public works services and resources, communications with the public, and possible challenges.
Overall, the exercise was meant to help town officials put emergency response plans to the test to evaluate their effectiveness and identify possible areas for improvement.
“These tabletop exercises and discussions provide a valuable opportunity to implement and evaluate our emergency response plans,” Town Administrator Gorman said. “They help us ensure that our policies and procedures are effective and efficient, enabling us to achieve the best possible outcomes in various emergency scenarios.”
“Tabletop exercises are an integral part of preparedness and education,” said a spokesperson for MEMA. “They provide an opportunity for a community to test and validate plans and policies including a municipality’s Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP) using a hypothetical event. CEMPs detail how a town or city can mitigate, respond to and prepare for different emergency incidents or events. The plan identifies specifically how the city/town will coordinate resources during a disaster or other event, the necessary tools that can be utilized, and how the community can recover from an emergency. Tabletop exercises also address best practices, strengths, weaknesses, and possible areas for improvement.”