22 January 2023

Table Top Exercise (TTX) Game Board for CERT SIZE-UP (Template)

Winter Highway (photo by V.A. McMillan)

 Title: Table Top Exercise (TTX) Game Board for CERT SIZE-UP (Template)

 

Over on The GOOD Plan Blog (https://thegoodplanblog.blogspot.com/2023/01/cert-lsar-table-top-exercise-game-board.html) the discussion has begun on CERT SIZE-UP for Light Search and Rescue (LSAR) TTX game board. This post will look deeper into the game board and how it can be developed and modified to meet the needs of CERT units for both the CERT Basics and monthly training.

Here is the TTX game board template I designed that CERT trainers and team leaders should be able to duplicate for their units and training programs:

The TTX Game Board Template (Click to enlarge)


The first obvious difference from the game boards shared on The GOOD Plan Blog and the TTX template, is the map and its replacement by a PowerPoint “map” icon. If a CERT unit was to duplicate this template for use with their CERT Unit, they would insert a map of their own neighbourhood to ensure meaningful training with relevant geography. CERT is all about neighbours helping neighbours. So, it makes sense to train where you live and live where you train. This builds confidence in knowing what and where you will be responding when disaster strikes.

The game board is created in PowerPoint and requires creating a custom sized slide that is 36” wide by 24” tall (90 cm X 60 cm). The rest is just text boxes that are outlined. So, let’s go around the template and chat about each component and the thinking when I designed this. Starting in the top left corner…see Figure 1:

Figure 1


The information captured in the top left corner of the game board will be the physical events components of the TTX. For items like wind, or fire, or floods/waves; there will be a direction of origin (the Threat Vector) in this circle the direction will be drawn as an arrow. Next the Threat Type will be identified at the start or once the threat has been identified. Circle one or more event types that have/are impacted/impacting the CERT neighbourhood. Then we drop to the next text box for a few more details. Is this TTX starting in the day or at night, circle the appropriate word. Same with whether this is a weekend event or weekday event. From a CERT perspective this will help identify the expected occupancy level in the neighbourhood. Then fill in the start time, using 2400-hour time. 0600 = 6am, 1800 = 6pm. Now for events that may have meteorological clues before the event, like some wind events. There can be high temperatures and rising humidity that are pre-cursors to the weather event. So, for the TTX the game master may want to inject specific weather data to help build awareness in the CERT participants. If a wind event has high temperature say above +35C at the start with relative humidity (RH) of 84% and rising, and then the wind event hits and the temperature drops to +20C with 97% RH, over time the CERT members may begin to see a pattern of local weather events and aftereffects. Finally, the note section allows for attaching any other game notes or player observations, which will be discussed during the TTX debrief.

Figure 2


Figure 2 is your CERT team roster. First player on this list wins, they are the SAR Team Lead!! Congrats, this player gets to be boss for this TTX. Game masters you can either preload the roster with CERT student names or as CERT members arrive at the designated rally point the roster gets filled in on a first-come, first on the list basis. Realistically, every CERT member should get practice at every role or position to build familiarity and depth to the CERT team. The TTX template game board is currently preloaded with the SAR Team Lead, two LSAR teams and a rescue team. Depending on the scenario used by the game master the roster could be left blank, and roles and positions will be determined by the SAR Team Lead in response to the nature of the event, or pre-determined to speed up the game cycle of training, like in the CERT Basics course.

Figure 3


The remaining nine boxes are pretty self explanatory, see Figure 3, these are the nine-steps of CERT SIZE-UP. While this TTX template was focused on LSAR tasks, a CERT trainer or CERT Team Lead could modify this for use in any CERT scenario employing the nine-step SIZE-UP process. In this case, the game master will present the CERT team with challenges or answers to their questions as the CERT team works through the scenario. Game masters may wish to develop a master list of event sequence for a complex TTX, so as not to get lost during the exercise. The nine-step CERT SIZE-UP is not necessarily needed to be memorized so the headings and clues on the game board can be used to guide the learning of the CERT students and refresh the memory of CERT team members as they work through the TTX. The complexity of the scenario would determine how many cycles through the SIZE-UP would occur before “END EX” has been achieved.

I hope that provides a good walk through of this CERT TTX game board template. I will get an opportunity to put this concept into practice in a few weeks to see how well it worked and what improvements are needed.

Until next time…Get out there and train!!!

Even if it is only on a game board conducting a TTX!

 

Mountainman.







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