**4.2 Benefits**

*Natural Hazards - Impacts, Adjustments and Resilience*

detailed disaster plans" ([25], p. 376).

*were left, was about getting ready for the next one.*

*A month later…*

*sure there ever was one.*

**4.1 Barriers to effective exercises**

**4. Training**

peace and a serious susceptibility when things are bad [12].

document detailing a facility's readiness ([35], p. 3). Written plans do not obviate problems [33, 38]. To be effective, training needs to be continuous, team-centred, and at least as far as disasters go, focused on the non-technical aspects of working in teams [22]. They have to use existing resources and include the possibility of the loss of these resources. The loss of electrical power is particularly important to consider. Our increasing reliance on technology is a modern blessing in times of

Plans are only 'fantasy documents' if they have no real implementation through

implemented conscientiously. When planning disaster training exercises, we should consider our purposes. Is the intent to expose participants to the disaster response plan or their roles in the organizational structure? Is it to test the implantation of the response plan, to expose its weaknesses and oversights? This is often the objective, intended or not ([40], p. 277). Evaluation and improvement of disaster plans may be a useful objective if that is the need [31]. But simply observing shortcomings does not itself remedy them. Lessons "identified" does not mean lessons "learned" ([40], p. 280) Is the intent to learn from or improve collaboration with other agencies? Is the intent to improve decision-making and specific skills? These are all valid objectives and need to be determined to meet the organization's needs, lest any coincidental success be wrongly attributed to ineffective plans [41]. Disaster training should focus on adaptability. "Exercises and training on how to be creative and imaginative under such circumstances would be more useful than

*"We just need to stick to the plan next time," Jan said, the last part sounding like a question. The storm was a memory like a bad dream. The town meeting, those who* 

*The plan was new to almost everyone. Ros dug up some dusty old binder a few days ago. Too bad it made it, untouched, through the storm. It was full of detailed instructions about houses reporting to block leaders, block leaders reporting to councillors, councillors to the mayor, the mayor to the assistance team that was supposed to come from Alec, the capital city. Only thing was, households were all rearranged, trying to find somewhere dry to sleep. The block leaders didn't even know who they were, the mayor didn't have any councillors, and the team, well, not* 

Disaster exercises may not accomplish what is intended during their design [20].

Excessive complexity, targeting the wrong audience, and unforeseen social psychological effects are some of the problems that can impair the efficacy of disaster

**Complexity.** More complex does not mean better when it comes to training exercises [21]. Thinking that testing more skills will improve more skills, stressing more processes will improve more processes, and designing more complex scenarios will enhance a greater repertoire of individual and systemic responses is flawed.

training ([39], p. 2). Exercises also may only be preparation in fantasy if not

**12**

education.

There is no doubt that planning and training is key to disaster preparedness [41]. Disaster exercises are beneficial when objectives are clear, and debriefing is effective. When objectives are appropriate and align with needs, response capacities improve. Debriefing helps with this and with all aspects of learning and growth. The debrief is one of the most important parts of effective exercise.

**Clearly defined objectives.** Objectives should identify whether the purpose of the exercise is evaluation or training, individual skills or collaboration, crisis or emergency response. Experts commonly identify the need for objectives to guide disaster exercises [20, 45]. Yet hospital exercises often do not include specific objectives [46] or have not clearly defined them [47]. Objectives help operationalize disaster training. That means we can identify what we wish to improve, measure to see if we have improved, and actually improve in the desired area [20, 21, 43, 46]. In many cases, the method of training and objectives of an exercise is not complementary and do not create the conditions for improvement in operational capacities [46, 48].

**Disaster vs emergency, stability vs flexibility, training vs drills.** Disasters and emergencies are different events and require different responses [21]. Training for emergencies requires drills, practicing being able to perform planned responses to anticipated events [20, 42, 51]. In a disaster, responses outside an organization's policies and protocols are required [20, 44]. Training for disaster ideally trains flexibility, communication, and the ability to work across organizational boundaries [20, 21].

**Collaboration.** Disasters require interactions across and within organizations that is outside of usual lines of communication [20]. Collaboration, then, is key. Collaborative communication can help organizations recognize crises in the first place [49] and throughout the event. If there are barriers to effective communication across organizational boundaries, the response will be less timely, flexible, and effective [51]. We should prepare for the need to collaborate through practice working within new relationships and organizational structures [25].

**Debriefing.** "… the only reason for running a simulation is so that an exercise can be debriefed" (Thiagarjan cited in [20], p. 421). Debriefing is essential in order for learning to occur [20, 49]. Debriefing helps accomplish objectives, be they developing plans, training existing skills, or learning new things [50]. Learning from an


#### **Table 1.**

*Questions to ask to make disaster training effective.*

exercise increases with reflection individually and collectively [21, 44, 51]. The utility of an effective and adequate debrief cannot be underemphasized (**Table 1**).

*Seems like a dream. A dream I'd like to forget. I said as much to Raj, adding "won't see another one like that for a hundred years."*

*He was just shaking his head. "Forget this dream and it might as well be three days till the next one. Be the same dream all over again unless you keep this one in mind."*
