Exercises are crucial to help facilities, communities and governments prepare for unforeseen disasters of any kind. Training executive staff to respond properly to a situation that activates emergency plans is essential during crisis situations.
Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) hired Tidal Basin, a Michael Baker International Company, to create an exercise addressing multiple scenarios focused on intentional acts designed to cause harm to the airport, personnel and passengers. We addressed the following threats and hazards in the exercise:
- Aircraft Incident
- Construction Accident
- Organized Protest
- Coordinated Attack
- Cyber Attack
- Active Shooter
The exercise was held at the LAWA Police Facility Community Room with a team of participants called the Crisis Leadership Team. This group included 33 players, 10 observers and nine exercise staff and partners from the following organizations:
- LAWA (executives and supervisors)
- City partners: Los Angeles Fire Department, the Mayor’s Office, Los Angeles Emergency
Management Department - Federal partners: Transportation Security Administration, Federal Aviation Administration , Customs and Border Protection, and Center for Disease Control and Prevention
Each department or agency played a critical role in the exercise because each of them enables LAWA to cope with and respond to unforeseen emergencies.
Core capabilities validated during the tabletop exercise included planning, intelligence and information sharing, operational coordination and communication, and situational assessments. The hybrid exercise consisted of a discussion-based exercise with interactive functional elements delivered in mini-scenarios during module presentations.
Tidal Basin and LAWA identified several objectives as areas to address to create an effective response when disaster strikes:
- Validating Roles and Responsibilities
- Executive Communication During Emergencies
- Identifying Key Decision Points
Tidal Basin was able to successfully engage stakeholders and executives in the exercise and conversations, building confidence in LAWA’s future preparedness and response efforts.