Large Emergency-Response Exercises: Qualitative Characteristics - A Survey

Yang-Im Lee, Peter Trim, Julia Upton and David Upton
Additional contact information
Yang-Im Lee: University of London, UK, yang-im.lee@rhul.ac.uk
Peter Trim: University of London, UK, p.trim@bbk.ac.uk
Julia Upton: SW London St. Georges and Oxleas NHS Trusts, UK,julia@upton.cc
David Upton: Stirling Reid Ltd., UK, davidupton@stirlingreid.com

Simulation & Gaming, 2009, vol. 40, issue 6, 726-751

Abstract: Exercises, drills, or simulations are widely used, by governments, agencies and commercial organizations, to simulate serious incidents and train staff how to respond to them. International cooperation has led to increasingly large-scale exercises, often involving hundreds or even thousands of participants in many locations. The difference between ‘large’ and ‘small’ exercises is more than one of size: (a) Large exercises are more ‘experiential’ and more likely to undermine any model of reality that single organizations may create; (b) they create a ‘play space’ in which organizations and individuals act out their own needs and identifications, and a ritual with strong social implications; (c) group-analytic psychotherapy suggests that the emotions aroused in a large group may be stronger and more difficult to control. Feelings are an unacknowledged major factor in the success or failure of exercises; (d) successful large exercises help improve the nature of trust between individuals and the organizations they represent, changing it from a situational trust to a personal trust; (e) it is more difficult to learn from large exercises or to apply the lessons identified; (f) however, large exercises can help develop organizations and individuals. Exercises (and simulation in general) need to be approached from a broader multidisciplinary direction if their full potential is to be realized.

Keywords: agency; bomb threats; crisis; disaster; drill; emergency; emergency response; emotions; exercise; experiential; feelings; fire service; government; group psychotherapy; health agencies; incident; industrial accidents; large group; ‘large’ exercises; large-scale exercises; learning; military; multidisciplinarity; personal trust; play; ‘play space’; police; psychology; role-play; ritual; simulation; situational trust; situationism; social implications; staff training; trust (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2009
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:simgam:v:40:y:2009:i:6:p:726-751

DOI: 10.1177/1046878109334006

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