This section provides guidance on preparing to run ECB Simulation #1 (Single Agency Preparedness & Response Systems.) Tasks are logically sequenced to assist your planning.

Several Weeks Before the Exercise

Objectives & Scenario

• Contact senior management of the host country office and identify learning needs of office staff and/or specific individuals and the emergency preparedness and response tasks and emergency “phases” that should be included in the simulation. (See Section 5 of this Guide.)
• Set simulation objectives with senior managers of host country office. Of particular importance here is clarifying whether the simulation is viewed as a means of (a) training staff in current systems, (b) exposing the need for changes to the system, (c) identifying staff for potential emergency assignments, or (d) a combination of all three.
• Identify a local simulation project manager.
• Determine with senior managers the country context of the simulation (i.e. the hazard & emergency response scenario to be used in the simulation.)

 Audience & Participation

• Develop - and agree on - criteria for simulation participation with senior managers.
• Identify which stakeholders to include in simulation and edit role-guides as needed.
• Decide with senior managers if other emergency stakeholders (e.g. government, UN, NGO, media, private sector, community representatives, etc.) are to be invited.  Be sure to consider the impact on the simulation that the presence of external officials could potentially have.

Venue, Equipment, Supplies

• Agree with simulation project manager on venue & room needs.
• Inform simulation project manager of essential equipment & supply needs.
• Ask simulation project manager to arrange with the training venue for a box/sack lunch for participants for the day of the exercise; and for a sit-down meal for the debriefing day.

Materials Preparation

• Edit the “Generator”: NGO data, affected regions & data, calendar (calendar setup should be discussed with senior managers of hosting country to ensure the simulation focuses on those phases of emergency response of interest to their office – e.g. the immediate-term, first few days, first week(s), first month(s), etc.
• Edit the Management Memos and update the memo tracking sheet. Be sure to copy and paste appropriate organizational logos in the memos and use “Search & Replace” feature to update NGO, government agency, names of affected regions, etc.
• Identify 20-30 appropriate electronic images/photos relevant to type of hazard, location of affected areas and affected populations (for use as Assessment Mission data). Prepare PowerPoint file of images for printing – preferably in color if possible. 
• Edit Assessment Mission Quotes to support simulation objectives and reflect Assessment photos as needed.
• Arrange to have 100 Message Forms printed (white, yellow, and prink triplicate, carbonless forms). (Print approximately five message forms per participant.)
• Edit other simulation materials as needed.

Several Days Before the Exercise

• Ensure local simulation project manager informs venue about room setup needs.
• With senior management, select a participant who will acts as the simulation exercise “leader” (this staff member will essentially act as the clearinghouse for incoming Memo traffic and delegator of tasks as needed).
• Prepare a proposed debriefing agenda and check with senior managers.
• Update presentation overheads as needed. 
• Print all materials.
• Re-confirm with simulation project manager that there will be two computers and a printer available throughout the exercise and debriefing.
• Identify locations to be used as “Assessment Mission” sites (preferably out of sight and a several minute walk from the main conference room). You will need two or three sites (i.e. one site per affected region as set up in the Generator.)

The Day Before the Exercise

• Ensure conference room, stakeholder breakout room, and, if available, simulation administration office are set up as planned.
• Ensure flip charts, paper, markers are available.
• Ensure equipment – laptop, LCD projector, printer, etc. – are functioning as expected: test them!
• Verify with venue organizer that box/sack lunch will be available on day of exercise and normal, sit-down meal is arranged for debriefing day).
• Ensure name tags for participants are available.
• Ensure role-guides for external stakeholders are available; arrange external stakeholder table signs on tables or taped to walls.

 The Day of the Exercise

• Tape Assessment Mission photos and quotes to walls at selected Assessment Mission Sites (if sites are indoors, this can be done the evening before; if the sites are outdoors be sure they are protected from wind or rain).
• Set up the “OCHA Humanitarian Information Centre” (UNHCR in a simulated refugee emergency) on wall in the Conference Room. This is where the OCHA Sitrep memos produced by the “Generator” will be posted every 15 minutes.
• Tape a copy of the simulation calendar to the wall near the “OCHA Humanitarian Information Centre.”
• Set up the Simulation Administration office with laptop and printer for the Media to use. Arrange all the memos by hour of delivery on a table for easy viewing.
• Tape a copy of the Memo Tracking Form to the wall by your desk.
• Test all equipment once again.
• Assign one simulation administrator responsibility for delivering memos and the Simulation Times newspaper.
• Assign the other simulation administrator responsibility for tracking Message forms as they arrive in the simulation office and noting which tasks have been completed.