OUR SERVICES
Our objective, quite simply, is to ensure that your security and emergency response plans are up to date, relevant, workable and understood by all involved.
Preparedness Assessment
3PX can review the key policies and doctrines that your organisation currently has in place to deal with a major incident, identifying where there may be gaps. We will advise you on what could and should be tested within any exercise, then work with you to identify the best method(s) to undertake this.
The assessment is designed to work with you as a ‘critical friend’, asking searching questions based on an impartial view whilst being constructively challenging.
The outcome(s) of this assessment will determine the direction of the project, including which of the exercises (detailed below) should be utilised, as well as agreeing a set ‘Aim and Objectives’ for the project as a whole and each exercise.
We very much work on the basis that exercises should be utilised as a tool to test what is already in place and not to confirm a gap. Therefore, if any parts of the reviewed plans are identified as a potential weakness, our team will work with you in advance of any exercise to create appropriate doctrine, policies and/or procedures. It is these that will then be incorporated within a future exercise, allowing them to be either validated, or areas for improvement being identified.
Testing & Exercising
Aside from real life events, the testing and exercising of plans, procedures and/or capabilities is the only way to provide organisations with assurance of their effectiveness.
With practitioners who have extensive operational and exercise experience, both within the UK and internationally, 3PX can help you test your plans, whether this be by way of 'Proof of concept' workshops, 'table-tops' or 'live play'. Additionally, these workshops/exercises can be tailored specifically towards management level, operational personnel or a combination in order to test cohesiveness of the overall response. At the end of each event, we will of course compile and provide you with a comprehensive report, containing identified good practice, potential gaps and evidenced recommendations.
It is important that testing and exercising is viewed as part of the holistic approach to improving overall preparedness, along with training and learning from other opportunities.
OPTIONS
We will work closely with you to build either one-off exercises or a larger programme; whatever best suits your needs. This will include the suggested exercise, content and delivery, with our ‘on-line’ capability offering both a time and cost effective way of bringing key people together to test plans and decision making.
Our consultants have vast experience in all the types of exercises documented below and will work with you to agree what best suits your needs. We are of course more than happy to discuss with you in more detail the specifics of each of these in relation to your bespoke needs, but by way of a summary:
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PROOF OF CONCEPT WORKSHOPS
Used for new policies/doctrine or where there is uncertainty as to ownership or response capability. The framework of this type of exercise is to ‘walkthrough’ a scenario with all stakeholders to gain and assess common understanding.
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TABLE-TOP EXERCISES (TTX)
A more detailed and developing scenario where policies and procedures already exist. Injects and discussions are used to ascertain if, based on current plans, the anticipated decisions are made and responses undertaken.
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COMMAND POST EXERCISES
Again, based on current policies/plans but often used to test crisis management teams or senior decision makers, due to the faster and more intense pace. The exercise can replicate ‘real time’ regarding decision requirements (and consequences), with injects fed in via different mediums to realistically replicate outside factors.
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OPERATIONAL ‘LIVE’ PLAY EXERCISES
Designed to allow personnel and operatives at the ‘front end’ of a response to test the plans and procedures that are in place. As well as being played out in ‘real time’, it affords a crucial opportunity to work with all those who play a part in, and are needed for, the response. This is particularly beneficial when other departments or organisations take part as the exercise can give a true reflection of how effective plans are when there is a need to work jointly and be interoperable with the policy/doctrine of others.
Consequence Management
With demand for information being at a huge level and the fast time sharing of information on social media, every major incident creates consequences which need to be managed. How your organisation deals with these can affect its reputation for years to come.
Preparing for these ahead of a real event, as well as considering how to start the ‘recovery’ process at the earliest opportunity, are crucial for an organisation. Having been involved in, and exposed to, some of the most challenging situations that have faced the UK, and working to the ethos that ‘recovery’ starts from the moment an incident begins, 3PX consultants are able to offer expert advice in relation to:
Key challenges that will be faced in the first few hours, days and weeks of an incident.
What needs to be considered to deal with the immediate consequences.
How to continue ‘business as usual’ most effectively.
Maintaining and, if possible, improving brand/corporate standing; and
The influence of social media and the importance of responding effectively to it.
SPEAK TO A SPECIALIST TODAY
3PX is ready to provide you with a specialist bespoke service, delivered by credible and respected professionals.