Ascenttra has specialized in HSEEP exercise design, conduct, and evaluation since 2007. We have developed hundreds of exercises across almost every possible scenario to examine policies, plans, procedures, equipment, systems, organizational structures, and training for all disciplines in both government and the private sector. Games are a unique style of discussion-based exercise as they allow for changing scenario environments based on player actions and decision making. Well-crafted games also allow the examination of decision points by allowing facilitators to "rewind" and explore the consequences of decisions.
Ascenttra’s Destination Disaster: EOC game is a cutting-edge tool designed to enhance the preparedness and efficiency of emergency operations center (EOC) staff. By immersing participants in realistic, discussion-based exercises, this game focuses on critical processes like situational awareness, information flow, decision-making, and resource management. Destination Disaster: EOC is an all-hazards exercise that is scenario agnostic to allow EOCs to analyze procedures across a variety of scenario threats while ensuring meaningful and impactful training and evaluation for key capabilities.
1. Situational Awareness and Information Flow
The EOC game emphasizes the importance of maintaining situational awareness and efficient information flow. Participants are tasked with gathering, analyzing, and sharing essential information, and developing situational reporting ensuring that decision-makers have the data they need to act effectively.
2. Policy Decision-Making and Coordination
Through engaging scenarios, participants navigate complex decision-making processes, balancing competing priorities and ensuring alignment with organizational policies. The game fosters collaboration among EOC staff, enhancing their ability to manage crises cohesively.
3. Single-Point Ordering and Resource Allocation
Resource management is a cornerstone of effective EOC operations. The game challenges participants to coordinate single-point ordering and optimize resource allocation, replicating real-world pressures and complexities.
4. Public Information and Messaging
Participants practice crafting and disseminating public information and messaging products, ensuring accurate and timely communication with stakeholders and the public during emergencies. This feature is critical for maintaining trust and managing expectations.
5. Scenario-Agnostic Gameplay for Comprehensive Preparedness
The EOC game can be tailored to specific hazards or played in a scenario-agnostic mode. This flexibility allows teams to test their capabilities across a wide spectrum of potential disasters, ensuring robust preparedness.
6. Integration with Responder and Healthcare Games
When combined with the Responder or Healthcare games, the EOC game creates a seamless simulation of real-world interactions. Participants experience the dynamic interplay between on-scene responders, healthcare facilities, and EOC operations, providing a holistic view of emergency management.
Participants in the EOC game engage in a series of scenario injects designed to replicate real-world challenges. Each inject prompts participants to:
Gather and analyze essential elements of information (EEIs).
Develop and implement policy decisions.
Coordinate resource requests and allocations.
Produce public messaging and situational updates.
Facilitators can adjust scenarios in real-time to introduce unexpected challenges, encouraging adaptability and critical thinking.
The EOC game includes a comprehensive set of tools to support meaningful exercises and actionable outcomes:
Boards and Maps: Designed to reflect EOC’s information flow.
Resource Cards: Representing assets such as personnel, equipment, and facilities.
Scenario Inject Cards: Tailored to your organization’s specific risks and hazards.
Exercise Evaluation Guides (EEGs): Aligned with your standard operating procedures to ensure detailed After-Action Reports.
Facilitator Instructions and Templates: Including PowerPoint scenario presentations and immersive Ascenttra News Network videos.
1. Enhances Situational Awareness
By simulating real-world information flow, the EOC game helps participants develop and refine their situational awareness, ensuring accurate and timely decision-making.
2. Builds Stronger Teams
The game fosters collaboration and communication among EOC staff, strengthening teamwork and ensuring effective crisis management.
3. Validates Policies and Procedures
Participants can test their plans against realistic scenarios, identifying gaps and areas for improvement. The game’s customization ensures relevance to your organization.
4. Encourages Adaptive Thinking
Through dynamic and interactive gameplay, the EOC game challenges participants to think critically and adapt to evolving situations, preparing them for real-world crises.
5. Provides Actionable Insights
With tools for After-Action Reports and Improvement Plans, the game delivers valuable insights to guide continuous improvement in emergency preparedness.
Space: The main play board is 56” wide by 25” high.
Players: The EOC game is not limited in the number of players, however, we recommend no more than 12 EOC representatives, with any playing policy or senior officials at a different table.
Knowledge: Players should have knowledge of their agency's resources and policies, plans, and procedures and EOC responsibilities.
Equipment: Table for the boards and computer that can show the presentation and play the news videos.
Emergency management is serious business, but that doesn’t mean it has to be dull. Our product combines the rigor of a formal HSEEP exercise with the engaging elements of a board game but without the unrealistic randomness common in simple games that prevents them from deeply exploring your procedures and the consequences of player decisions. This balance ensures participants stay engaged, but are actually discussing your facility’s procedures and preparedness. While other emergency management games only seek to “familiarize” players with preparedness concepts, a Destination Disaster:EOC session produces relevant and actionable areas for improvement and corrective actions specific for your organization.
Ascenttra’s Destination Disaster:EOC game combines the rigor and realism of traditional tabletop exercises with the engagement and interactivity of a board game. It transforms emergency preparedness training into an impactful experience that:
Meets Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) requirements.
Encourages meaningful discussions about policies and procedures.
Creates a safe environment for exploring innovative approaches and solutions.
Regularly incorporating customized, 90-minute exercises into your preparedness program as part of a progressive exercise program can yield long-term benefits. Teams become more adept at navigating crises, policies evolve to meet current demands, and your team builds a culture of continuous improvement. Our solution offers a strategic investment in your agency's resilience for much less than a single vendor-facilitated exercise.
Let’s redefine what tabletop exercises can achieve. Contact us today to learn how our customizable, engaging solution can meet your emergency management needs and exceed expectations for less than you think.
For detailed information on our other two versions, click on the links below to learn more or view the overview of all three games here.
Contact us today at https://www.ascenttra.com/contact.php or 1-888-MSEL HLP.