TABLE TOP EXERCISE
11.04.2013
On the 12th of October, Master in “Protection against CBRN events” (University of Rome “Tor Vergata”) and the Italian National Fire Corps (VV. F.) implemented the first Table Top Exercise of the Master’s course. The TTX, organized by representatives of the Fire Brigades of Rome and the Directive Board of the Master, involved more than 30 people between students, former students and lecturers.
Students were divided into 4 groups, each one acting as “Comitato provinciale per l'ordine e la sicurezza pubblica”. Four former students of the master, from different Italian Institutions (MM, ARPA, CRI, INAIL), were assigned to the groups to evaluate their response to the incoming injects of the TTX and their ability to work in a multi-agency context.
Former students and lecturers from: VV. F., Marina Militare, and from the world of journalism and university, acted as Role Players for the: IC (Incident Commander), Police (Superintendent), Public Health (118), Prefecture and other Stakeholders from COC (Centro Operativo di Controllo), giving injects and answering requests from “Comitato provinciale per l'ordine e la sicurezza pubblica”.
Aim of the TTX was to enlighten the main issues which can be faced at the Tactical level when dealing with a CBRN event, in this specific case a terroristic radiological event. Each group managed decision making, communication and self-organizing issues and had to face communication breakdown and burnout situation due to the pressing succeeding of the injects deriving from the dynamic scenario which was designed.
At the end of the TTX, the Evaluators gave a short report of the group’s actions and behavior to the Role Players (also General Evaluator of the TTX), while each group gave a short presentation of the final report produced during the last part of the TTX, where the decisions and recommendations adopted as response to the injects have been shown and substantiated.
Differences emerged between the “blank group”, a group of students with no direct experience in the CBRN field, and the other groups where representatives of the different actors involved in a CBRN event (VV. F., P.S., E.I. and M.M.) were present.
Besides, all the material collected during the TTX (notes, ppt, e-mails etc.), questionnaires will be sent to all the participants in order to have multiple point of view about the TTX and, in general, about gaps and good practices in response to CBRN events.
Results from the TTX will be adopted to implement the next TTXs which will take place within the following editions of the Master’s courses. These results will also be taken into consideration as contribution to the TTX which will be organized and implemented within the European Community founded project: “CBRN Integrated Response Italy” coordinated by “Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna di Pisa” with the partnership of VV.F. and University of Rome “Tor Vergata”.
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