High Street Consulting was honored to support the Fairfax County, VA Department of Emergency Management and Security in designing, conducting, and evaluating a full-scale exercise. This tested the county's preparedness in activating and running an emergency shelter, including providing accommodations for individuals with access and functional needs.
Why a full-scale exercise
Discussion-based exercises validate plans on paper. A full-scale exercise validates them in motion: the people, equipment, facilities, and partner agencies that have to work together when a shelter actually opens. Sheltering operations touch nearly every part of a jurisdiction's emergency management program, from mass care and logistics to public information, accessibility, and partner coordination with voluntary organizations.
Access and functional needs
A central objective of the exercise was ensuring that the shelter could serve individuals with access and functional needs, including mobility, communication, medical, and dietary considerations. Testing those accommodations under realistic conditions surfaces the gaps that are easy to miss in a plan review.
How High Street supports exercises
High Street practitioners design, conduct, and evaluate HSEEP-aligned exercises of every type, from seminars and tabletops to drills, functional exercises, and full-scale exercises like this one. Every exercise closes with an after-action report and improvement plan that turns observations into actionable change.
Want to validate your own sheltering, reunification, or response plans? Contact us to discuss an exercise program, or learn how Beehive can shorten exercise development time by 60 to 70 percent.