Active Shooter and Radiological Contamination Full-Scale Exercise

Planning and conducting exercises in rural settings highlights the unique features and challenges of emergency preparedness in rural America. Exercise designers must employ creative solutions to plan for player/controller contingencies, limited resources, and patient management across large geographical areas. This paper outlines the process by which a full-scale mass casualty exercise was conducted in a small Wyoming town. It analyzes some of the major problems encountered in rural exercise development and the solutions employed. The focus is on the success and failures of the exercise design based on direct observation/participation, hotwash forms, the after-action review, and direct feedback from participants. Specific techniques for facilitating hospital, emergency medical services, and law enforcement participation are discussed in depth. This analysis is significant because it can help meet the growing demand for more rural-centered training and preparedness approaches.