Simulation exercise

A '''simulation exercise''' (SimEx<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Mahdi | first = Syed Sarosh | last2 = Jafri | first2 = Hafsa Abrar | last3 = Allana | first3 = Raheel | last4 = Battineni | first4 = Gopi | last5 = Khawaja | first5 = Mariam | last6 = Sakina | first6 = Syeda | last7 = Agha | first7 = Daniyal | last8 = Rehman | first8 = Kiran | last9 = Amenta | first9 = Francesco | date = 2023-05-24 | title = Systematic review on the current state of disaster preparation Simulation Exercises (SimEx) | journal = BMC Emergency Medicine | pages = 52 | volume = 23 | number = 1 | doi = 10.1186/s12873-023-00824-8 |doi-access=free}}</ref>) or emergency preparedness exercise<ref name = "skryabina">{{cite journal | journal = International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction | volume = 46 | date = 2020 | title = The role of emergency preparedness exercises in the response to a mass casualty terrorist incident: A mixed methods study | first1 = Elena A. | last1 = Skryabina | first2 = Naomi | last2 = Betts| first3 = Gabriel | last3 = Reedy | first4 = Paul | last4 = Riley | first5 = Richard | last5 =Amlôt |doi = 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2020.101503| pmc = 7709486 }}</ref> is a public health simulation of a hypothetical disaster used to test response capacity. It is similar to military exercises.

== Types ==

The World Health Organization categorises simulation exercises into four categories: tabletop exercise, drill, functional exercise, and full-scale exercise listed in increasing complexity (amount of preparation and resources required).<ref>{{cite | title = WHO Simulation Exercise Manual | publisher = World Health Organization | date = 2017}}</ref> The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control considers an additional type: the orientation exercise which it places before tabletop exercise.<ref name = "ecdc">{{cite | publisher = European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control | title = Handbook on simulation exercises in EU public health settings – How to develop simulation exercises within the framework of public health response to communicable diseases | date = 2014}}</ref>. The discussion-based exercises (orientation and tabletop<ref name = "ecdc"></ref> are recommended as a starting point before conducting operation-based exercises (the other three types).<ref name = "skryabina"></ref>

== Format ==

During an exercise, injects are provided.<ref>{{cite journal | first1 = Claudia | last1 = Houareau | first2 = Clara | last2 = Spieker | first3 = Ulrike | last3 = Grote | first4 = Knut | last4 = Perseke | first5 = Maria | last5 = an der Heiden | first6 = Robert | last6 = Caglar | first7 = Amrei | last7 = Wolter | first8 = Máire A. | last8 = Connolly | first9 = Jessica S. | last9 = Hayes | first10 = Mart | last10 = Stein | first11 = Benjamin | last11 = Kaluza | first12 = Maike | last12 = Overmeyer | first13 = Ute | last13 = Rexroth | title = The PANDEM-2 Simulation Exercise: Training the Coordinated Response to a Large-Scale Pandemic in 2 European Public Health Emergency Operations Centers | journal = Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness | date = 2025 | volume = 19 | doi = 10.1017/dmp.2024.298| doi-access = free }}</ref> These are updates to the scenario in the form of emails, news articles, telephone calls and so on.<ref>{{cite | title = Guide to Test, Training, and Exercise Programs for IT Plans and Capabilities | first1 = Tim | last1 = Grance | first2 = Tamara | last2 = Nolan | first3 = Kristin | last3 = Burke | first4 = Rich | last4 = Dudley | first5 = Gregory | last5 = White | first6 = Travis | last6 = Good}}</ref> The master scenario events list contains an overview of which injects are used when.<ref>{{cite | title = Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program | date = 2020 | url = https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/2020-04/Homeland-Security-Exercise-and-Evaluation-Program-Doctrine-2020-Revision-2-2-25.pdf}}</ref> The exercise is followed up by a debrief, including a "hot" debrief immediately after the exercise.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Dausey | first1 = David J. | last2 = Buehler | first2 = James W. | last3 = Lurie | first3 = Nicole | date = 2007-05-29 | title = Designing and conducting tabletop exercises to assess public health preparedness for manmade and naturally occurring biological threats | journal = BMC Public Health | pages = 92 | volume = 7 | number = 1 | doi = 10.1186/1471-2458-7-92 | doi-access = free| pmc = 1894789 }}</ref>

== Scenarios == === Disease outbreaks ===

NSW Health hosted an influenza pandemic exercise called ''XFG'' in 2008.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Eastwood | first1 = Keith | last2 = Durrheim | first2 = David | last3 = Merritt | first3 = Tony | last4 = Massey | first4 = Peter D. | last5 = Huppatz | first5 = Clare | last6 = Dalton | first6 = Craig | last7 = Hope | first7 = Kirsty | last8 = Moran | first8= Lucille | last9 = Speare | first9 = Richard | last10 = Farrar | first10 = Kris | date = 2010 | title = Field exercises are useful for improving public health emergency responses | journal = Western Pacific Surveillance and Response Journal | volume = 1 | number = 1 | pages = 12–18 | doi = 10.5365/WPSAR.2010.1.1.003| pmc = 3729048 }}</ref> The World Health Organization hosted an exercise in 2025 called ''Polaris''<ref>{{cite web | title = Exercise Polaris: The WHO Just Ran A 2-Day Pandemic Preparedness Exercise | first = Laura | last = Simmons | publisher = IFLScience | url = https://www.iflscience.com/exercise-polaris-the-who-just-ran-a-2-day-pandemic-preparedness-exercise-78708 | date = 2025-04-07}}</ref>. The fictional disease being tested was "mammothpox"<ref name = "mam1">{{cite web | title = WHO tests the world’s pandemic response with fictional ‘mammothpox’ outbreak | first = Bryony | last = Gooch | date = 2025-04-15 | url = https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/mammothpox-mpox-covid-who-pandemic-b2733541.html}}</ref><ref name = "mam2">{{cite web | title = WHO tests pandemic response with Arctic ‘mammothpox’ outbreak | url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/mammoth-pox-pandemic-response-world-health-organization/?msockid=3771122109cb63f9111c04d508886214 | first = Maeve | last = Cullinan | first2 = Arthur | last2 = Scott-Geddes |date = 2025-04-15}}</ref> The outbreak started with a pathogen from permafrost<ref name = "mam2"></ref>. The same year, UK Health Security Agency held an exercise called ''Pegasus''.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2025-11-04/debates/251104100000010/PandemicPre#contribution-2EC7BFB3-7C94-4029-9A86-206E6F6D4549 | title = Pandemic Preparedness: Exercise PEGASUS | date = 2025-11-04}}</ref> The fictional disease in this exercise was "EV-D68".<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/schools-locked-down-again-in-secret-pandemic-drills/?msockid=3771122109cb63f9111c04d508886214 | title = Schools locked down again in secret pandemic drills | first1 = Paul | last1 = Nuki | first2 = Sarah | last2 = Newey | first3 = Maeve | last3 = Cullinan | date = 2025-11-25}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" |+ |- ! Name !! Year !! Facilitator !! Disease |- | Exercise Cygnus || 2016 || UK Government || influenza |- | Exercise Alice || 2016 || UK Government || Middle East respiratory syndrome |- | Exercise Clade X || 2018 || Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security || disease X |- | Crimson Contagion || 2019 || US Department of Health and Human Services || influenza |}

=== Mass casualty events ===

In 2017 an exercise called ''Elsa'' considered a major incident leading to many casualties.<ref name = "skryabina"></ref> The same year, an exercise named ''Socrates'' considered a mass casualty event.<ref name = "skryabina"></ref>

=== Natural disasters ===

A 2011 simulation imagined the 365 Crete earthquake happening again.<ref>{{cite journal | journal = Geophysical Research Abstracts | volume = 14 | number = EGU2012-11787 | date = 2012 | title = The AD 365 earthquake: high resolution tsunami inundation for Crete and full scale simulation exercise | first1 = N. | last1 = Kalligeris | first2 = E. | last2 = Flouri | first3 = E. | last3 = Okal | first4 = C. | last4 = Synolakis}}</ref> In 2012 an exercise simulating destruction of the Isthmus of Corinth as a result of an earthquake was held.<ref>{{cite journal | date = 2005 | title = Development and Implementation of a Simulation Exercise for the Special Unit for Disaster Medicine in Collaboration with the “Hellenic Volunteer Rescue Team” Non-Governmental Organization | journal = Prehospital and Disaster Medicine | volume = 20 | number = S1 | pages = 63 | doi = 10.1017/S1049023X00013327 | first1 = A. | last1 = Zygoura | first2 = K. | last2 = Sidiropoulos | first3 = P. | last3 = Vergopoulou | first4 = G. | last4 = Argyropoulos | first5 = C. | last5 = Imertziadis | first6= H. | last6 = Kapnopoulos | first7 = P. | last7 = Koukopoulos | first8 = I. | last8 = Kostopoulos | first9 = G. | last9 = Letsios | first10 = C. | last10 = Papalouizos | first11 = C. | last11 = Shinarakis | first12 = K. | last12 = Fotopoulos}}</ref>

== References ==

Category:Incident management Category:Disaster preparedness Category:Earthquake and seismic risk mitigation

Simulation exercise

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