Activities in which participants work through real-world scenarios can enhance their ability to manage complex situations and can encourage implementation of risk management strategies. Practical and credible information presented in a  hands-on  setting is engaging and memorable. This article shows how to develop and use table-top simulations

Lehtola, Carol J

English

Clemson University: TigerPrints

The Journal of Extension Volume 45 Number 4 Article 27 8-1-2007 Developing and Using Table-Top Simulations as a Teaching Tool Carol J. Lehtola University of Florida, cjlehtola@ifas.ufl.edu This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License. Recommended Citation Lehtola, C. J. (2007). Developing and Using Table-Top Simulations as a Teaching Tool. The Journal of Extension, 45(4), Article 27. https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/joe/vol45/iss4/27 This Tools of the Trade is brought to you for free and open access by the Conferences at TigerPrints. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Journal of Extension by an authorized editor of TigerPrints. For more information, please contact kokeefe@clemson.edu. 	 JOEHOME JOURNAL GUIDELINES ABOUT	JOE CONTACT NATIONAL	JOB	BANKCurrent	Issues Back	IssuesAugust	2007	//	Volume	45	//	Number	4	//	Tools	of	the	Trade	//	4TOT4Developing	and	Using	Table-Top	Simulations	as	a	Teaching	ToolAbstractActivities	in	which	participants	work	through	real-world	scenarios	can	enhance	their	ability	tomanage	complex	situations	and	can	encourage	implementation	of	risk	management	strategies.Practical	and	credible	information	presented	in	a	"hands-on"	setting	is	engaging	andmemorable.	This	article	shows	how	to	develop	and	use	table-top	simulations.	BackgroundThe	table-top	simulation	is	an	educational	tool	intended	to	provide	students/learners	anopportunity	to	apply	knowledge	about	preparedness	and	potential	disaster	situations	throughformal	discussion	of	a	described	scenario.	The	scenario	is	a	"fictional"	(though	based	on	actual	orpotential	events)	emergency	management	situation	at	an	agricultural	operation.Table-tops	are	useful	and	effective	teaching	tools	when	hands-on	training	may	be	impractical	orimpossible	to	conduct.	They	are	designed	to	stay	in	the	classroom,	making	the	session	moremanageable,	even	with	a	large	number	of	participants.	They	are	useful	in	a	variety	of	settings.They	have	been	used	in	training	sessions	for	the	Florida	State	Agricultural	Response	Team	(SART)program	and	the	Agricultural	Risk	Management	and	Law	course	at	the	University	of	Florida.	Whilehands-on	experience	in	the	midst	of	an	emergency	is	high	stress,	table-tops	provide	a	low-stressatmosphere,	which	is	more	conducive	to	discussion	and	understanding.	Participants	reduce	oreliminate	uncertainty	about	an	emergency	before	the	emergency	happens.Examples	of	topics	include:	hurricanes,	wildfires,	contaminated	meat,	a	stolen	truck	loaded	withchemicals,	hostage	situations,	and	distribution	of	diseased	tropical	fish.	In	the	Agricultural	RiskManagement	and	Law	course,	students	develop	a	business	and	identify	potential	risks	for	thatbusiness.	A	table-top	simulation	is	then	developed	by	the	instructor	for	those	specific	businesses.Even	though	the	simulations	are	fictional,	they	are	based	on	composites	of	actual	situations	thathave	occurred.	One	such	example	involved	the	shooting	of	workers	in	a	Florida	nursery.	The	intentis	to	get	students	thinking	of	possibilities	for	which	even	small	businesses	need	to	be	prepared.Table-top	simulations	have	long	been	used	by	public	health	professionals	for	increasing	awarenessof	public	health	preparedness	among	medical	school	students	and	residents.	They	have	also	beenused	successfully	by	emergency	management	and	community	agencies	involved	in	working	withdisasters	and	emergencies.	More	recently,	they	have	become	widely	used	in	the	businesscommunity	as	well,	particularly	addressing	computer	security	issues.	Table-tops	allow	for	abusiness	to	identify	and	examine	their	areas	of	vulnerability	(Lehtola,	Brown,	&	Wang,	2005).A	current	trend	of	businesses	and	government	is	to	look	at	their	operations	in	terms	of	businesscontinuity.	Business	continuity	refers	to	ensuring	the	continuity	or	uninterrupted	provision	ofoperations	and	services	in	case	of	an	emergency	or	disaster.	This	concept	includes	analysis	of	abusiness	for	disaster	recovery,	business	recovery,	business	resumption,	and	contingency	planning(Emery,	Borron,	&	Cain,	2006).School	systems	are	using	table-tops	to	prepare	for	dealing	with	a	crisis.	They	are	proving	to	bebeneficial	because	their	use	does	not	require	the	major	disruption	that	would	be	involved	withconducting	a	drill	(Trump	&	Lavarello,	2000).Carol	J.	LehtolaThe	University	of	FloridaGainesville,	Floridacjlehtola@ifas.ufl.eduA	hospital-based	research	study	indicated	that	there	is	evidence	that	table-top	simulations	help	totrain	key	decision	makers	in	disaster	response	(Hsu	et	al.,	2004).	This	is	significant	because	themanagement	of	crisis	events	is	dependent	on	the	performance	and	effectiveness	of	the	peoplewho	are	in	decision-making	positions.According	to	Alexander	(2000),	simulation	scenarios	"require	a	context	of	hazard,	vulnerability,and	risk."	In	table-top	simulations	where	many	people	are	involved,	the	participants	may	beassigned	specific	roles,	such	as	members	of	the	community,	the	CEO,	emergency	manager,incident	commander,	media,	and	medical	personnel.	The	scenario	is	played	out	and	discussed	as	itprogresses.	Time	must	also	be	allocated	for	wrapping	up	and	debriefing.The	basic	elements	of	a	scenario	are:The	nature	of	the	disaster	and	its	impact	(include	the	who,	what,	when,	and	where)Any	constraints,	rules,	and/or	necessary	logistical	factorsThe	roles	of	the	participantsObjectives	to	be	reachedComplications,	set-backs,	and/or	secondary	hazardsUsing	Narrative	and	Table-top	Simulations	in	the	Classroom	orin	Extension	ProgramsWhen	the	student	teams	submit	the	business	they	have	selected,	the	instructor	reviews	eachbusiness,	finds	real-life	incidents	that	may	have	happened	in	similar	businesses,	develops	ascenario,	and	then	turns	the	scenario	over	to	the	team.	However,	even	though	some	things	mayseem	far-fetched,	scenarios	are	developed	that	pose	a	challenge	to	their	"it	won't	happen	to	mysmall	business"	way	of	thinking.	The	scenario	includes	questions	that	participants	have	to	workthrough.	The	team	then	has	to	give	a	presentation	to	the	entire	class	about	what	their	business	is,what	they	had	to	deal	with	and	their	decisions	for	managing	the	risk(s).The	scenarios	are	definitely	eye-opening,	and	participants	get	involved	as	they	look	at	real	andpractical	situations.	The	use	of	table-top	simulations	in	this	manner	gets	managers	thinking	interms	of	business	continuity	as	a	risk	management	strategy	they	will	need	to	develop	(EDEN,2006).	By	working	through	the	table-top	exercises,	participants	learn	to	develop	risk	managementstrategies	to	meet	a	variety	of	challenges	including:Responding	to	media	interest	(It	is	recommended	that	a	company	have	one	spokesperson	todeal	with	the	media.)Ensuring	business	continuityMaintaining	company	credibility	in	the	communityIf	a	recall	must	be	issued,	regaining	a	good	reputation	and	avoiding	business	failureHandling	uninsured	costs	and	their	impact	on	company	financesResponding	to	rumors	(rumor	control)Placing	high	priority	on	safety	and	security	of	employeesSecuring	facilities	and	equipment	during	and	after	an	incidentThinking	in	terms	of	worst-case	scenariosReviewing	and	updating	crisis	plans	on	a	regular	basisMaintaining	good	communications	is	critical	for	making	informed	decisionsSupplementing	current	contact	lists	with	active	plansTable-tops	provide	a	"safe"	mechanism	for	studying,	working	through,	and	debating	appropriatechoices	and	decisions	rather	than	having	to	encounter	them	for	the	first	time	in	real-life.	Examplesare	included	in	Table	1.Table	1.Examples	of	Businesses	and	Scenario	Situations	Used	in	the	Agricultural	RiskManagement	and	Law	CourseFertilizerSalesThe	high-school	junior	was	left	in	charge	of	the	store	for	a	fewhours.	Strangers	came	in,	purchased	fertilizer	and	paid	cash.EnvironmentalAssessmentFirmTheir	truck	containing	chemicals	was	stolen	and	later	foundcrashed	behind	a	store.Local	BeefSlaughterHouseProcessed	meat	was	found	to	be	contaminated.Beef	CattleRanchApproaching	wildfireWineDistributionCo,Employee	took	fellow	employees	hostage.Veterinarian Drugs	were	stolen	to	be	used	by	people	for	recreationalpurposes.	The	kid	that	bought	the	drug	on	the	street	had	asevere,	almost	fatal	reaction.OrganicFarmsNon-English	speaking	workers	were	left	alone	in	the	fields.One	rode	on	the	tractor	fender	to	get	to	the	truck,	he	fell	offand	was	run	over	by	the	rotary	mower.EnvironmentalRemediationCo.Contaminated	soil	was	dumped	in	a	land-fill	that	had	not	beenapproved	for	the	dumping.Feed	Co. A	worker	in	a	grain	bin	drowned	in	grain	when	the	augerstarted	up.	Confined	space	entry	and	lock-out/tag-outprocedures	were	not	followed.AerialApplicationCo.A	temporary	pilot	for	the	day	ended	up	stealing	the	planeloaded	with	chemicals.Nursery A	disgruntled	employee	began	shooting.	("Shooting	atFragrant	Nurseries"	available	at	Florida	AgSafe(http://www.flagsafe.ufl.edu)	Click	on	"Publications",	then"Course	Materials.")Any	Business A	hurricane	warning	has	been	issued	for	the	area.IceDistributionCo.Contaminated	ice	was	used	at	an	NFL	football	game.Aquaculture Diseased	tropical	fish	were	sold.SummaryThis	article	has	explained	how	table-top	simulations	can	be	developed	and	used.	These	interactiveexercises	allow	participants	to	place	themselves	in	actual	or	operational	conditions.	People	cantranslate	this	critical	analysis	of	attitude	and	knowledge	into	changed	perceptions,	behaviors,	andwork	practices	that	can	help	prevent	disastrous	outcomes	at	their	farm,	home,	or	workplace.Additional	ResourcesFEMA	Independent	Study	Course	IS	139:	Exercise	Designhttp://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/is139lst.aspFEMA	Independent	Study	Course	IS	241:	Decision	Making	and	Problem	Solvinghttp://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/is241.aspThe	Ready	Business	Course	Prepared	by	DHS	and	EDEN:	Includes	an	Instructor's	Guide	and	aPowerPoint	Presentationhttp://www.eden.lsu.edu/ReferencesAlexander,	D.	(2000).	Scenario	methodology	for	teaching	principles	of	emergency	management.Disaster	Prevention	and	Management,	9	(2),	89-97.Emery,	T.,	Borron,	A.,	&	Cain,	S.	(2006).	Ready	business:	Preparing	a	disaster	business	plan.Retrieved	August	1,	2006,	from	http://eden.lsu.edu/LearningOps/ReadyBusiness/default.aspxLehtola,	C.	J.,	Brown,	C.	M.,	&	Wang,	E.	A.	(2005).	Using	table-top	simulations	as	a	teaching	tool.	InProceedings	of	the	National	Institute	for	Farm	Safety	Annual	Conference.	June	26-30,	2005,Wintergreen,	Va.	Columbus,	Ohio:	National	Institute	for	Farm	Safety.Hsu,	E.	B.,	Jenckes,	M.	W.,	Catlett,	C.	L.,	Robinson,	K.	A.,	Feuerstein,	C.	J.,	Cosgrove,	S.	E.,	et	al.(2004).	Training	of	hospital	staff	to	respond	to	a	mass	casualty	incident.	In	Evidencereport/technology	assessment	no.	95	(AHRQ	Publication	No.	04-E015-1).	Rockville,	MD:	Agency	forHealthcare	Research	and	Quality.Trump,	K.	S.,	&	Lavarello,	C.	(2000).	No	safe	havens.	Retrieved	August	8,	2006,	fromhttp://www.asbj.com/security/contents/0303trump.htmlCopyright	©	by	Extension	Journal,	Inc.	ISSN	1077-5315.	Articles	appearing	in	the	Journal	become	the	property	of	theJournal.	 Single	 copies	 of	 articles	may	 be	 reproduced	 in	 electronic	 or	 print	 form	 for	 use	 in	 educational	 or	 trainingactivities.	Inclusion	of	articles	in	other	publications,	electronic	sources,	or	systematic	large-scale	distribution	may	bedone	only	with	prior	electronic	or	written	permission	of	the	Journal	Editorial	Office,	joe-ed@joe.org.If	you	have	difficulties	viewing	or	printing	this	page,	please	contact	JOE	Technical	Support©	Copyright	by	Extension	Journal,	Inc.	ISSN	1077-5315.	Copyright	Policy

Developing and Using Table-Top Simulations as a Teaching Tool

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Developing and Using Table-Top Simulations as a Teaching Tool

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