Conducting Your Drills & Exercises

Last week’s blog discussed planning your Drills & Exercises. Once you’ve decided on what you’re testing and planned a scenario, it’s time to put your plan into action. Remember that we’re focusing on a single element of your FSP for a Drill, while an Exercise tests the entire FSP and requires active and substantial FSO participation.

Since you’ve taken the time to plan your Drill or Exercise, conducting the evolution becomes a matter of choosing a time and location. We have found it’s best to test personnel at the places where they work (e.g., at guard posts, or at their work areas) and at access points. We suggest finding a time during the shift when there are fewer distractions and personnel can focus on the drill, such as after the morning or afternoon rush hour at your vehicle or pedestrian gates.

Explain the Drill or Exercise to the participants. It’s okay to remind the personnel that you’re only testing the specified FSP element to keep the Drill focused. Once you’ve described the scenario, then allow the participants to explain and demonstrate what they would do in response. Use your pre-planned questions to help guide the drill and ensure you’re thoroughly exploring the FSP element.

Remember that your Drill or Exercise is not a training event. As you proceed through the evolution and it’s clear that the participants are failing, stop the Drill or Exercise evolution and shift to training instead. Return at a different time and try the Drill or Exercise again. If you have contract security personnel who fail, it’s important to hold the contractor accountable, especially if they’re responsible for providing qualified personnel to your facility!

Next up will be documenting your Drills & Exercises – stay tuned for next week…