Exercises

Doing Exercises

The purpose of the Tabletop Exercise is to provide a forum for participants to evaluate plans, policies, and procedures; examine management planning and resources allocations, and resolve situations requiring coordination and assignment of responsibilities in a non-threatening format with minimum stress.  The tabletop exercise provides an environment where elected or appointed officials and key agency staff may interact with constructive discussion as they attempt to resolve problems related to emergency operations, coordination and response.  Participants are encouraged to discuss issues in depth, develop decisions through slow-paced problem solving rather than rapid spontaneous decision-making such as occurs under actual or simulated emergency conditions.  Tabletop Exercises are particularly valuable to achieve limited objectives involving critical policy issues or for developing or refining procedures such as those for obtaining mutual aid from neighboring jurisdictions.  They are equally useful for familiarizing agencies or individuals with a specific role or potential role conflicts, examining specific elements of a new plan or procedure or to examine specific conditions or problems that represent a high-risk condition within or between jurisdictions.  These limited objectives are normally scenario oriented in the Tabletop Exercise and progress of the exercise is tightly controlled to preclude deviation to tangential subject areas so the stated objective of the exercise can more likely be achieved. 

On December 13, 2007, City of Salem Department of Emergency Management held their Tabletop Exercise. Illinois Emergency Management Agency Region Nine Office Conducted the exercise.  The Scenario was a school shooting at Salem Community High School.

On November 12, 2009, City of Salem Department of Emergency Management Held their bi-yearly required Tabletop Exercise.  Illinois Emergency Management Agency Region Nine Office was present to evaluate the exercise.  The Scenario was an F2-3 Tornado and Flooding.

Functional Exercise was held on Oct 17, 2011.  This exercise tested the EOC and Unified Mobile Command.  Equipment from Robinson and Mt. Vernon was used also during the exercise.  

A Table Top Exercise was held on August 28, 2014.  The exercise tested was an Earthquake.  Magnitude 7.7 approximately 24 miles near Blytheville, Arkansas.  This Salem Illinois Region received significant damage, injuries, and fatalities. 

Salem had two major structure fires in September of 2015 within three days.  The City of Salem was given an accredited FULL-Scale Exercise with the two combined fires.   

 Salem Emergency Management along with Salem Police Department participated in the "Operation Wildcat" State Weapons of Mass Destruction Team Full Scale Exercise-MSEL- on December 7-8, 2016   

Salem participated in the Region Nine Earthquake Table Top Exercise on July 18, 2017 in Flora IL. 

The following participate in the exercises:

  • Salem Emergency Management
  • Salem City Manager
  • Salem City Manager Assistant
  • Salem City Clerk
  • Salem City Finance Director
  • Salem City Public Works Director
  • Salem City Police Chief
  • Salem City Police Communications Leadsman
  • Salem Fire Protection District Chief
  • Salem City Recreation Director
  • Salem Township Hospital
  • Marion County 911 Coordinator
  • Marion County Public Health Department
  • Marion County ESDA Director/LEPC Chairman
  • Illinois Emergency Management Agency
  •  Central and Southern Illinois American Red Cross Chapter.
  • Both WJBD Radio and Salem Times Commoner released media reports of the exercise.
  • Use of the EOC Smart Board was very beneficial during exercise.