Tabletop Disaster Exercise to Enhance Risk Management Education

• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6296.2011.01203.x
• Author: Norma L. Nielson,Brian Kitching
• Date: 01 March 2012
• Published date: 01 March 2012

Risk Management and Insurance Review

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Risk Management and Insurance Review, 2012, Vol.15, No. 1, 23-34

DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-6296.2011.01203.x

TABLETOP DISASTER EXERCISE TO ENHANCE RISK

MANAGEMENT EDUCATION

Norma L. Nielson

Brian Kitching

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

A new direction was needed for an existing course to better link it to a campus-wide

initiative to coordinate and enhance our capabilities in disaster resilience. In addition

to modifications to the course name, catalog description, and prerequisites, a tabletop

disaster exercise was included near the end of the semester.That exercise was developed

to meet several objectives:

•Provide experiential learning for students.

•Provide an opportunity for students to interact with professionals with responsi-

bility for a specific role on the Emergency Operations Group (EOG).

•Provide the University with additional practice of its Emergency Response Plan,

especially with respect to the specific emergency situation simulated through the

exercise.

•Provide the insights and thoughts of students to the University on its Emergency

Response Plan.

•Strengthen ties between the risk management academics on our campus and the

risk management professionals.

PREDEVELOPMENT,INCLUDING APPROVALS

The first step in developing this exercise was to request participation of the University’s

Director of Risk Management and the Emergency Response Planner in her department.

While the request was greeted positively, the Director of Risk Management did need

to get an additional approval to release the Emergency Response Plan document to

students. That permission was forthcoming on two conditions: (1) that certain sensitive

plans be removed and (2) that students sign a confidentiality agreement.

Norma L. Nielson is Chairholder in Insurance and Risk Management at the Haskayne School

of Business, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive N.W., Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada;

phone: 403-220-8596; e-mail: norma.nielson@haskayne.ucalgary.ca. Brian Kitching is the Emer-

gency Response Plan Coordinator at the University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada.

This article was subject to double-blind peer review.

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