Exercises are a key component of national preparedness — they provide the whole community with the opportunity to shape planning, assess and validate capabilities, and address areas for improvement. HSEEP provides a set of guiding principles for exercise and evaluation programs, as well as a common approach to exercise program management, design and development, conduct, evaluation, and improvement planning.
Through the use of HSEEP, the whole community can develop, execute, and evaluate exercises that address the preparedness priorities. These priorities are informed by risk and capability assessments, findings, corrective actions from previous events, and external requirements. These priorities guide the overall direction of an exercise program and the design and development of individual exercises.
These priorities guide planners as they identify exercise objectives and align them to capabilities for evaluation during the exercise. Exercise evaluation assesses the ability to meet exercise objectives and capabilities by documenting strengths, areas for improvement, capability performance, and corrective actions in an After-Action Report/Improvement Plan (AAR/IP). Through improvement planning, organizations take the corrective actions needed to improve plans, build and sustain capabilities, and maintain readiness.
HSEEP Information Sheet
HSEEP Frequently Asked Questions 2020
Latest revision released in February 2020
Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility Guide
FEMA’s National Exercise Division (NED) has collected and compiled lessons learned and best practices from across the whole community of exercise practitioners.
The resulting guidance provides insights on successfully planning and conducting exercise that integrate Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility, safety and virtual options.