During an ICS tabletop exercise, what should be captured to drive improvements?

During an ICS tabletop exercise, what should be captured to drive improvements?

• A. Actions and decisions taken, along with responses observed
• B. Only the final outcome
• C. Personal performance reviews
• D. None of the above

Answer: (A)

The main idea is to record what actions and decisions are taken, and how responders and the system respond to them. This means noting not just what happened, but why choices were made, the sequence of events, the resources used, and the communication that occurred. This level of detail is what feeds after-action reviews and drives improvements in plans, procedures, training, and coordination. Capturing actions, decisions, and observed responses lets you see how the incident command structure was applied in real time, where information flow or coordination broke down, where delays occurred, and where training or procedure gaps contributed to the outcome. If you only record the final result, you miss the reasoning, timing, and interactions that led to it, so you can’t identify the true areas needing improvement. Personal performance reviews focus on individuals and aren’t the primary source for improving ICS operations in an exercise context.

The main idea is to record what actions and decisions are taken, and how responders and the system respond to them. This means noting not just what happened, but why choices were made, the sequence of events, the resources used, and the communication that occurred. This level of detail is what feeds after-action reviews and drives improvements in plans, procedures, training, and coordination.

Capturing actions, decisions, and observed responses lets you see how the incident command structure was applied in real time, where information flow or coordination broke down, where delays occurred, and where training or procedure gaps contributed to the outcome. If you only record the final result, you miss the reasoning, timing, and interactions that led to it, so you can’t identify the true areas needing improvement. Personal performance reviews focus on individuals and aren’t the primary source for improving ICS operations in an exercise context.