Consultation and Training Services
Put Preparedness Into Practice
Creating a Collaborative Response Graphic® is an important step in emergency preparedness. CRG’s consultation and training services take preparedness further – helping organizations put their maps, plans, procedures, and partnerships into practice.
Drawing on extensive operational experience, CRG provides scenario-based tabletop exercises, live drills, and customized training that help organizations strengthen coordination and prepare for the challenges of a real-world emergency.
Tabletop Exercises Built on Real-World Experience
CRG has conducted more than 500 tabletop training and live drill exercises across the country, bringing together the people and agencies who would need to work together during an actual emergency.
CRG’s tabletop methodology is adapted from the pre-mission rehearsals used by U.S. Special Operations Forces. Participants work through realistic scenarios to exercise existing plans and procedures, test assumptions, identify gaps, and strengthen communication and collaboration before an incident occurs.
Depending on the scenario and participants, tabletop exercises can address:
- Immediate actions by school district leadership and law enforcement, both inside and outside the school
- Establishment of tactical command, staging areas, and perimeters
- Coordination between law enforcement, district staff, fire, and medical resources
- Establishment of Incident/Unified Command and coordination of additional or outside resources
- Communication procedures, notifications, evacuation, reunification, and accountability
HSEEP-Compliant Emergency Response Exercises
Critical Response Group designs, conducts, facilitates, evaluates, and completes after-action reporting for Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP)-compliant emergency response exercises.
From tabletop exercises to full-scale, multi-agency drills, CRG brings operational experience to each engagement while helping participants evaluate how their existing emergency plans, procedures, and resources perform in a realistic scenario.
Bring Everyone to the Table
Effective emergency response requires coordination across organizations. CRG exercises can bring together school or facility leadership, law enforcement, fire, EMS, 911/PSAP personnel, emergency management, tactical teams, and other stakeholders who may play a role in response.
Using CRGs as a common operating picture, participants can work through communication, command and coordination, evacuation, medical response, reunification, and other critical decisions together.
Find Gaps Before They Matter
CRG exercises are designed to do more than create discussion. They give participants an opportunity to see how their people, plans, procedures, and maps work together under the pressure of an evolving scenario.
The process can uncover communication gaps, clarify roles and responsibilities, strengthen interagency coordination, and identify opportunities to improve existing emergency action plans.
”The tabletop truly exercised our plans and assumptions while also identifying several gaps/areas for improvement... This coupled with your obvious insight and expertise in crisis operations made the time well spent.
– Sgt. Rob Sarnoski, Special Ops Division, Louisa County
Expertise That Extends Beyond the Map
CRG’s experience spans schools, public safety agencies, government organizations, and complex multi-agency environments across the country.
That experience allows CRG to build exercises around each organization’s environment and operational priorities – from school-focused scenarios centered on collaboration with first responders to larger exercises involving tactical response, multi-agency command, and Unified Command.
”The true power of these tabletop exercises goes far beyond just reviewing a plan. It’s about being dynamic, and not staying locked into one idea.
– Blaine Parnell, Nevada State Chief Ranger, following the Burning Man 2025 Active Assailant tabletop exercise
Put Your Plans Into Practice
CRG’s training and exercise services help organizations test their plans, strengthen coordination, and prepare their teams to respond together when it matters most. Speak with an expert to learn how CRG can support your preparedness and training needs.
