Homeland Security Exercise & Evaluation Planning ( HSEEP )

Critical Incident Solutions combines real-world emergency responder experience with recognized, industry best practices to provide challenging, yet realistic all-hazards, emergency response exercise and evaluation programs. CIS offers economical and effective emergency response exercise design, facilitation and evaluation services in strict adherence with all U.S. Department of Homeland Security guidelines (HSEEP). These training programs are designed to provide realistic evaluations of all response disciplines and their response plans in an effort to enhance response capabilities and overall community preparedness.

Our ability to design, execute and evaluate "reality-based" exercises is further complemented by the hands-on emergency responder knowledge and real-world experience of our personnel. Having participated in hundreds of homeland security and emergency response exercise and evaluation programs at U.S. embassies and consulates around the world supporting the U.S. Department of State, our personnel possess the experience and credentials necessary to ensure the success of your emergency response training program. CIS believes the ultimate value of any emergency response exercise and evaluation program lies in its ability to provide the participants objective and realistic feedback. This philosophy ensures each stakeholder understands the importance of the exercise and the value of the evaluation. This feedback can be used to enhance emergency response levels by providing supplemental training or by modifying existing emergency operation plans.

MARTA Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA)
Atlanta, Georgia

Reference: Lt. Frederick Foster,
Emergency Preparedness Cdr.
MARTA Police Department
2424 Piedmont Rd., N.E.
Atlanta, GA  30324-3330
(404) 848-3191

Services provided: CIS recently conducted a Table-Top Exercise and a Full Scale Exercise for the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) which involved multiple WMD attacks on the public transportation system. Detonation of an RDD was the focus of the Table-Top Exercise. Agencies participating in these exercises included the MARTA Police Department, MARTA Rail, Bus and Station Services, Atlanta Police Department, Atlanta Fire Department, Federal Bureau of Investigations, Cobb County Police Department, Georgia Emergency Management Agency and Atlanta-Fulton County Emergency Management Agency. Scenario events caused a shut down of the entire public transportation system in both exercises. During the Full Scale Exercise, responders had to simultaneously deal with an explosion at one of the rail stations, a bus hostage situation and multiple WMD IEDs which had the potential of contaminating surrounding areas with chemical, biological and/or radiological materials.

During the FSE, each position in the EOC was equipped with a computer work station linked to a single computer. The individual positions were required to log into a system called Web-log to enter any requests for assistance or any change in information as soon as that issue became known to the affected position. A casual observer could notice at a glance when an action was taking place and which issues had been acted upon or resolved. Any issues left unresolved were automatically highlighted in orange.