THE NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS FOR RESPONSEEXERCISE PROGRAM (PREP)A PAPER TIGER OR DYNAMIC PROCESS?

摘要

The National Preparedness for Response Exercise Program hasrnbeen in effect for over a decade. There is no doubt that it has beenrna principal factor in moving the response community from thernconcept of developing incident management from scratch, tornunified performance through organized teams. However, in thernpast couple of years the PREP approach has reached a certainrnlevel and stalled. When one goes to exercise design meetingsrnthroughout the country and commonly hear, “we are not ready torndeal with this issue,” one must wonder why plans cannot or willrnnot be fully tested after a decade of experience. Is the programrnworking to the degree that is necessary and achievable?rnFor continuous growth of the response community's level ofrncompetency in the Incident Command System and oil/hazardousrnsubstance response operations, a dynamic exercise program mustrnexist. It is pertinent to ask?rn? Has the National PREP Program reached status quo, and ifrnso are we willing to change in order to improve?rn? What is gained by testing the initial 24-hour period of thernresponse over and over?rn? Do core components of a plan tested during smaller exercisesrnsatisfy the effort that would be required for the WorstrnCase Discharge event?rn? What works best, self-evaluation or independent evaluation?rn? Is agency verification of exercises being done?rn? Are unresolved issues and lessons learned documented,rnstudied, and resolved before the next training or spill?rn? Are lessons learned shared between companies for incorporationrninto plans?rn? Do either the national or state modified PREP programsrnpromote increased capability of oil spill removal organizationsrnand spill management teams at local, regional, andrnnational levels?rn? Is the true availability of response resources tested throughrnPREP?rnThis paper will compare and contrast the National PREP programrnconducted by Federal Agencies, to the State of Washington'srnmodified PREP program. The authors will answer these questionsrnand provide recommendations for changes to PREP that willrncreate a more dynamic and meaningful training program.