Full-Scale Exercise for Complex Coordinated Attacks

Project Overview

The complex coordinated terrorist attack (CCTA) tabletop exercise (TTX) revealed both strengths and areas for improvement in San Diego County’s response and recovery capabilities. In response to the findings, the client requested a full-scale exercise (FSE) to further enhance their plans, policies, and procedures in their county.

Understanding the Mission

The client’s request for a FSE stemmed from the insights gained during a TTX. Building on this foundation, our goal was to leverage these lessons learned and translate them into actionable, real-world scenarios to further enhance preparedness. By simulating multi-faceted incidents, the FSE aimed to strengthen the county’s operational capacity as well as its response and recovery capabilities during a CCTA event.

The Hagerty Approach

Our team successfully developed and executed a comprehensive two-day FSE across four exercise sites. The exercises focused on high-impact scenarios, including active shooter situations, Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), hostage scenarios, radioactive materials, and decontamination protocols. The exercise also emphasized the integration, coordination, and communication across 14 Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs) within the San Diego County region, ensuring a unified and streamlined response across multiple agencies.

Our key responsibilities included:

• Developing the exercise scenario, along with clear objectives and detailed supporting materials;
• Identifying appropriate exercise site locations and assessing logistical needs to ensure smooth operations; and
• Coordinating with participants, managing registration processes, ensuring safety protocols, and overseeing the exercise’s successful execution.

Achieving Results

The exercise engaged over 1,500 participants from nearly 80 agencies across multiple disciplines. This multi-site FSE allowed participants to identify strengths in the county’s response and highlight areas needing improvement. Many of the agencies involved had never previously exercised together, fostering invaluable collaboration and enhancing community-wide partnerships. Notably, this was one of the largest FSEs ever conducted within the San Diego County region.

Additional media coverage of the exercise is available here.