This is a T.E.S.T.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) designed This is a T.E.S.T (Tabletop Exercise Simulation Tool) to teach emergency preparedness and response partners who may be involved in population monitoring about Community Reception Centers (CRCs) and expand their understanding of how to respond to a radiation incident. The goal is to facilitate cooperation between different partner agencies that would respond to a radiation emergency, train staff on their roles and responsibilities, and provide a Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) aligned exercise design that mimics real world issues that may arise, such as staff fatigue, public anxiety, and hazards.
This is a T.E.S.T (or TEST) CRC is a collaborative game that bridges the gap between discussion and operational exercises for CRCs using narrative-based problems to foster teamwork, discuss resource management, and aid in understanding specific roles and responsibilities during a radiation emergency. The purpose of this game is to provide players with pressures and situations that likely will arise in a real emergency, highlighting the need to work together to process the population effectively. Player roles include public health, emergency management, radiation control, fire and police, communications, hospitals, and volunteer coordinators.
DISCLAIMER: Neither the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nor any of their employees, make any warranty, express or implied, or assume any legal responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of the information and instructions in this game, including its rulebook. Use of specific trade names and commercial sources does not constitute an endorsement by the authors or by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Public health, emergency management, radiation control, hospitals, volunteer organizations, and others who would be involved in response to a radiation emergency.
Players will
- explore cause and effects of incident decisions during a radiation emergency requiring use of a community reception center (CRC) including those with access and functional needs or with limited English proficiency.
- evaluate current radiation plans to identify potential gaps and where additional resources and collaboration are required.
- assess hospital capacity to receive radiation affected patients after an incident.
- assess population monitoring capacity of state and local agencies.
- 3-7 Players/Partner Agencies
- Minimum radiation experience
- Zero experience with cooperative board games
Audio Description: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atFN7Oa2U_M&themeRefresh=1
View and print exercise content for implementation.
- Print Instructions [PDF – 158 KB] Instructions for how to print files.
- Overview Flyer [PDF – 1 MB] Overview document that partners could use to share with participants to provide information about the exercise.