CEM Exercise Design & Training Programs 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which agency maintains the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP)?
- FEMA's National Preparedness Directorate (Correct answer)
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- Department of Homeland Security OIG
- OSHA Emergency Response Division
Correct answer: FEMA's National Preparedness Directorate
HSEEP is maintained by FEMA's National Preparedness Directorate and provides a standardized policy, methodology, and terminology for exercise design.
Question 2: What type of exercise requires actual deployment of personnel and resources to simulate a real emergency event?
- Tabletop Exercise
- Functional Exercise
- Full-Scale Exercise (Correct answer)
- Drill
Correct answer: Full-Scale Exercise
A Full-Scale Exercise is the most complex, involving real deployment of resources and personnel in a simulated emergency to test multiple functions simultaneously.
Question 3: In HSEEP terminology, a 'Hot Wash' is conducted immediately after an exercise primarily to:
- Brief senior leadership on exercise costs
- Capture initial participant observations before memory fades (Correct answer)
- Finalize the Improvement Plan
- Assign corrective action owners
Correct answer: Capture initial participant observations before memory fades
A Hot Wash is an informal debrief held immediately after an exercise to capture participants' initial observations and impressions while they are still fresh.
Question 4: Which exercise type is primarily discussion-based and tests plans and procedures without deploying resources?
- Full-Scale Exercise
- Functional Exercise
- Tabletop Exercise (Correct answer)
- Operations-Based Drill
Correct answer: Tabletop Exercise
A Tabletop Exercise (TTX) is a discussion-based exercise where participants walk through a scenario to identify strengths and gaps in plans without actual resource deployment.
Question 5: The Master Scenario Events List (MSEL) is used during exercise planning to:
- Assign exercise evaluator roles
- Script injects that drive exercise play and test objectives (Correct answer)
- Document lessons learned post-exercise
- Track participant attendance and credentials
Correct answer: Script injects that drive exercise play and test objectives
The MSEL is a detailed chronological timeline of scripted events (injects) used to drive exercise activity and ensure all objectives are tested.
Question 6: Which HSEEP document formally captures exercise observations, analysis of strengths and areas for improvement, and forms the basis for corrective actions?
- Exercise Plan (ExPlan)
- Situation Manual (SitMan)
- After Action Report/Improvement Plan (AAR/IP) (Correct answer)
- Master Scenario Events List (MSEL)
Correct answer: After Action Report/Improvement Plan (AAR/IP)
The AAR/IP documents exercise observations and analysis, and the Improvement Plan section assigns corrective actions with responsible parties and timelines.
Question 7: A Functional Exercise (FE) is best described as an exercise that:
- Tests a single specific operation or function in isolation
- Activates EOC staff and tests coordination without field deployment (Correct answer)
- Involves full resource mobilization in the field
- Uses only tabletop discussion with no simulated operations
Correct answer: Activates EOC staff and tests coordination without field deployment
A Functional Exercise activates an EOC or command post in a simulated environment, testing coordination and decision-making without full field deployment of resources.
CEM Exercise Design & Training Programs 1
Which agency maintains the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP)?