Exercise Planning & Development
In supporting our country’s national security and emergency preparedness readiness initiatives, the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) provides full-function exercises, drills, and tabletops to prepare the U.S. Department of Energy and other federal and state agencies to effectively respond to emergencies resulting from terrorist acts, accidents, or natural disasters.
ORISE develops all elements of the exercise package. We manage, control, and evaluate the exercise, helping organizations to develop an effective and efficient response and recovery capability.
Our exercises are designed to:
- Highlight organizational strengths
- Pinpoint organizational weaknesses
- Test emergency plans and procedures
- Reinforce teamwork concepts
- Integrate multiple organizations/agencies and their response resources and capabilities
ORISE staff are present during the exercise to manage, control, and assist with the evaluation. Upon completion of exercise objectives, ORISE assists participants with a "hot wash" and critique where an analysis of decisions and outcomes can be reviewed. ORISE provides an exercise report to key participants that can be used to improve capabilities and address any identified weaknesses.
Examples of our work include:
Support to DOE’s Exercise Programs
ORISE provides extensive support to DOE's Emergency Response Readiness Program, including serving as the principal planner and coordinator for DOE’s participation in national weapons of mass destruction (WMD) exercises. ORISE also manages the 900-member Emergency Management Issues Special Interest Group to share information, resources, and lessons learned across the DOE complex. Through the EMI SIG, ORISE developed the unique Exercise Builder tool, the standard used by DOE in planning its exercises.
California Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program
ORISE supports this state program with direct operational and technical assistance related to developing, conducting, managing, and reporting on exercises and training in support of HSEEP’s mission.
Next Generation Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) Course with Toolkit Activities
ORISE and the State of California Office of Homeland Security have revised the HSEEP course to create a balance between learning exercise methodology and using the web-based Toolkit to plan and develop exercises. Participants use their own jurisdictional information during course activities. Hands-on Toolkit activities are maximized using a specifically developed workbook and CD which participants retain as reference material.
Bureau of Reclamation Regional Critical Infrastructure Crisis Response Exercise Program
ORISE supports this program by providing operational assistance and expertise. We instituted a pilot exercise program at Flaming Gorge Dam in Utah, and we have validated readiness of security at Grand Coulee Dam in Washington.
TOPOFF 4, Full-Scale Exercise
ORAU expertise was used to assist the Department of Energy in the planning and execution of the fourth top officials terrorism preparedness exercise, which evaluated how well the U.S. can manage the response to a large-scale radiological disaster.
Diablo Bravo 2008
Exercise Diablo Bravo 2008 (DB08) was a National Exercise Program Tier II nuclear weapons incident exercise sponsored by the Department of Energy (DOE)/National Nuclear Security Administration.
DB08, which took place at the end of July 2008 in Washington State, involved a comprehensive interagency response at the federal, state, and local levels.
DB08 was the first interagency U.S. nuclear weapons incident exercise to incorporate the response to a terrorist attack on U.S. nuclear weapons; the first real-time deployment of response assets; the first exercise in which the weapons are in DOE custody under the National Response Framework (NRF).
