Simulation exercises are an important tool for strengthening disaster preparedness and response capabilities. They allow stakeholders to practice coordinating an emergency response. The document discusses simulations held in India to prepare for earthquakes and other disasters. It outlines the objectives of strengthening interagency coordination, contingency planning, and evaluating emergency plans. Lessons learned include the need for clear roles and standard operating procedures, as well as pre-identified resources and evacuation sites. Ongoing training and regular drills are needed to test preparedness. Areas for improvement include designing simulations to address training outcomes and testing all emergency support functions and protocols.

1. SIMULATION: A TOOL FOR
STRENGTHENING CAPABILITIES IN
DISASTER PREPAREDNESS AND
RESPONSE
DR MUZAFFAR AHMAD
MEMBER
NATIONAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY, GO

2. IN URBAN AREAS

3. THE SITUATION ON GROUND
 India’s cities are extremely vulnerable to
disasters
 Rapid urbanisation
 Overcrowding in informal settlements or
slums
 Accelerated population growth leading to
the lack of basic services and infrastructure
to protect individuals against disasters
 Constrained planning, issues in
construction and environmental controls,
 Climate change impact
 High levels of urban poverty
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4. THERE IS A NEED TO THINK PROACTIVELY –
INVEST IN BUILDING CAPACITIES –
THROUGH
AWARENESS, TRAINING AND EDUCATION

5. WHY SIMULATION?
 Urban millions live in an increasingly volatile
environment
 Susceptibility to both manmade and natural
calamities leading to unprecedented
humanitarian crises.
 Twenty-three urban centers in India have more
than a million inhabitants
 30% to 40% of urban dwellers are estimated to
live in poverty
 URBAN POVERTY IS OFTEN
UNDERESTIMATED
The effort of organizing simulations seeks to examine

6. PURPOSE OF HOLDING
SIMULATIONS
 Create a locally-driven, multi-disciplinary,
sustainable commitment to deliver quality
emergency response and preparedness for
response
 The methodology to be used for on-going training
of all stakeholders involved in an emergency
response:
 ESFs, government, non-government organizations
and community at large, including school-going
children and youth
 The lessons learned and methodologies to be
adapted for regular mock drills
 Elements of the methodology and curriculum
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7. NATIONAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY
7
DELHI MEGA SIMULATION EXERCISE 2012
• NDMA in collaboration with the Delhi
Government conducted a Mega Simulation
Exercise on Earthquake on 15 Feb 2012.
• Scenario: Magnitude- 7.9 (R) earthquake at
a distance of 200 km from Delhi.
• It was conducted simultaneously at 400
places spread over all the nine districts of
Delhi.
• 15,000 officials and stakeholders
participated.
• Over 30 million SMS’s were sent out, short
clips on TV and jingles on Radio were
played to encourage the people in participating.

8. 8

9. NATIONAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY
MULTI-STATE EARTHQUAKE EXERCISE
2013
 Repeat of Mw 7.8 Kangra Earthquake in
North West India.
 At 10.30 am on 13th Feb 2013, a
hypothetical situation of an earthquake
was created in the Tri –cities of
Chandigarh , Mohali and Punchkula, and
Shimla
 Involved activation of Unified Command
at Chandigarh that was linked to State
and District Emergency Operation
Centres (EOCs) in Chandigarh, Mohali,
Panchkula and Shimla and in Delhi at
MHA and NDMA Control Rooms
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10. TRI-CITIES OF
CHANDIGARH,
PANCHKULA & MOHALI

11. 11

12. WHY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
EXERCISE (EMEX)…..
The effort seeks to examine and strengthen
Urban Emergency Preparedness and
Response Mechanisms….

13. NATIONAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY
EMEX
 EMEx is an Urban Emergency Management
exercise to build technical capacity of
emergency support functions (ESF) to
launch coordinated, timely and adequate
response to known and unforeseen
disasters.
 Independent capacity building of various
agencies followed by two levels of
simulations to practice coordinated response
followed by debriefs
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14. NATIONAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY
OBJECTIVES OF EMEX
 Mass sensitization and public awareness on
Urban Emergency Management Services (U-
EMS)
 Capacity enhancement of different
stakeholders
 Test interagency communication,
coordination and interoperability.
 Assess and recommend areas for
reinforcement and improvement.
 Perspective plan (long term) for U-EMS in the
city
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15. NATIONAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY
OUTCOME OF EMEX
 Capacity Building of different
stakeholders
 Strengthen Interagency Coordination
 Strengthen Contingency Planning
 Plan, prepare and rehearse to face
emergency
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16. COMPONENTS OF EMEX
PRE EMEx MOBILIZATION
Trainings:
 All the academic tracks are undertaken in a
“Train the Trainer” mode. Creation of a pool
of resource trainers at local level
Table-top simulation:
 Provides an opportunity for all of the stake
holders to work together in a coordinated
response to a city disaster

17. COMPONENTS OF EMEX
Field Drill:
 Real-time simulation of a mass casualty event
involving multi-agency coordination and response
Debriefing:
 Post-drill hot-wash which assists in identifying the
strengths and weaknesses in current plans.
Evaluation:
 Domestic and international experts in disaster
management evaluate the entire exercise and make
recommendations for future improvements

18. SNAPSHOT
DETAILED EXPECTED OUTCOMES OF EMEx
CRITERIA OF PARTICIPANTS FOR THE HEALTH TARGET GROUP
CRITERIA OF PARTICIPANTS FOR THE NON HEALTH TARGET GROUP
80 DAYS CALENDAR FOR ROLL OUT OF EMEx

19. EMEX IS A PROCESS
 Need Assessment
 Review of Existing Contingency Plans at
the policy and unit levels
 Ensuring existence of unified incident
response system with demarcated roles
and responsibilities department wise
 Common disaster communication
network and SOPs activated.
 Capacity building of stakeholders

20. EMEX TRAINING TRACKS
S.
No
COURSES Participants Faculty
1 Humanitarian Response in Disaster - Public Health 60 3
2 First Responder Training 100 5
3 School & Higher Education Preparedness 120 6
4 Public Health Assessment 60 3
5 Interagency Communication & Coordination 60 4
6 Industrial and Chemical Disaster Preparedness 60 5
7 Search and rescue 60 5
8 MISP 100 6
9 Emergency Medical Services (EMS) 100 6
10 Emergency Nursing Care (ENC) 100 5
11 Hospital Disaster Management (HDM) 60 5
12 Public Health Emergencies 100 12
13 Advanced Disaster Life Support (ADLS) 60 6
TOTAL 1500 71

21. NATIONAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY
SOME OF THE LESSONS LEARNT
 Necessity of Disaster Management
Plans /contingency plans at various
levels
 Necessity of SOPs for all ESFs and
concerned departments as well as
other stakeholders
 Establishment of fully equipped EOC
with skilled manpower
 Mapping of resources (inventory -
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22. SOME OF THE LESSONS LEARNT
 Land use planning- pre identification of
area, schools, parking lots for base
camps, relief camps, staging area etc.
 Regular meetings of ESFs and
involvement of all agencies
 Need for state –of – the art emergency
operation centres at the state and district
levels with redundancy
 Need for skilled and trained personnel at
various levels

23. SOME OF THE LESSONS LEARNT
 Need for interagency communication and
coordination between various agencies
 Capacity building of the community with
specialized task forces at every level
 Clarity on roles and responsibilities for all
agencies concerned with emergency
response
 Develop and maintain arrangements for
accessing resources, equipment, supplies
and funding in preparation for disasters that
might occur

24. CHALLENGES OF SUCH
SIMULATIONS
 Huge coordination exercise
 Participation of senior officials
 The efficiency of EOCs
 Element of surprise
 Redundancies and overlap across the agencies
involved in emergency response
 Non availability of Emergency Response Protocols and
Standard Operating Protocols for review before or
during the drill
 Opportunities to evaluate real time response - how long
it takes to deliver various types of services
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25. AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT
 The simulations to be designed in a way
that addresses the learning outcomes of
academic / training tracks
 The preparedness of all ESFs, EOCs and
senior decision makers should be tested
 Prior review of established written
protocols, procedures, policies and
guidelines by evaluators and observers to
allow evaluation criteria to be determined
before the drill
 Preparation of standardised evaluation
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26. AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT
 Inclusion of actual exercises into the
simulation, or assessment of emergency
procedures when providing another major
service e.g. immunisation days, physical
screenings, blood donation. (to test
logistics management)
 Focus on agency-specific mini-drills and hot
washes
 Distinguishing between on-site incident
command and emergency operations
centers
 Recognition that press coverage/the media

27. GLIMPSES OF EMEX
CHENNAI 2011
GUWAHATI 2012
AND
DELHI 2012

28. CEMEX 2011
 CEMEx VIDEO

30. TABLE TOP EXERCISE

31. TABLE TOP EXERCISE

32. MOCK SIMULATION DRILL

35. NATIONAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY
THANK YOU