Crisis management case study - BERR
UK National Tier 1 Simulation Exercise
In July 2007 Steelhenge delivered the third of the UK government's annual programme of national Tier 1 simulation exercises on behalf of the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR). The scenario chosen was a civil one based around energy and brought together the energy industries including oil, gas and electricity in an opportunity to rehearse their emergency planning alongside and in parallel with Government.
The event was designed and delivered by a Steelhenge team over nine months, utilising its in-house project management systems to ensure an integrated event was realised at the end of the extensive and extremely detailed planning process.
Stakeholders in the event included 13 Government Departments working their teams alongside BERR over the entire period of the 36 hour continuous exercise. This was an extended timescale for an event of this scale but it provided a unique opportunity to rehearse full shifts of crisis planning and policy staff - conducting hand-overs, managing time and through-night working in a busy environment. The BERR staff worked to the central government crisis structure run by the Civil Contingencies Secretariat as the coordinating body.
The training extended far beyond the exercise itself. Preparatory courses were run for staff in BERR, awareness training was delivered across Government and workshops were run in three Government Office regions and Wales.
A unique aspect of the actual simulation was the creation of a website to enhance reality and provoke further media play. The site was updated hourly with news clips from the live “pseudo media” news team who worked around the clock to present a full media impression. Additionally news copy was run to allow the realistic re-creation of an online news site reporting on events as they unfolded. Journalists supported this with telephone play and two live press conferences were run, to camera with live audiences.
Summarising the participants’ feedback, Steelhenge’s Dominic Cockram said, “The exercise was rated a great success by all involved and the post exercise reporting process was detailed and led to a wide range of new areas for review and development. The training was seen as having been of enormous value at all levels and produced a better prepared and rehearsed Department.”
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