Facilitate annual table-top preparedness exercise for all response agencies.

Preparing for potential disasters is imperative to ensuring the safety of our community. A tabletop exercise is a scenario-based training where all emergency response agencies work together through a possible real-life emergency scenario. This type of exercise allows participants to discuss their roles during an emergency event, practice communicating with one another, and be better prepared to respond individually and collectively during an actual crisis. As the City is potentially susceptible to various vulnerabilities, such as hurricanes, regularly facilitated tabletop exercises ensures our emergency response teams remain ready to meet the needs of our community.

As the immediate needs of the COVID-19 pandemic subsided, City emergency responders were able to resume their participation in tabletop exercises. Between Fall 2021 – Spring 2022, a total of nine tabletops were conducted with emergency response partners. Sessions have ranged in topics from response and recovery scenarios related to power plant failures, oil spills, severe winter storms, natural gas leaks, airplane crashes, landfalling hurricanes, transport and handling of patients with infectious diseases, large-scale fire and transport of burn patients, cyberattacks, and regional flooding events. Routinely conducting these emergency exercises helps ensure greater consistency of response, more efficient use of resources, and stronger coordination among key agencies. Emergency preparedness is a key component to ensuring public safety and community resilience.

Tallahassee Fire Department. Last updated: August 2022.