Disasters occur somewhere daily. They may not make the evening news. But to the local population affected by destruction, physical carnage, drought, terrorism, disease or weather related destruction; their worlds can change overnight, sometimes never returning to a previous state of affairs. The training of the all-inclusive medical community, to work together iwth sister agencies, as well as state and federal government agencies should be a priority for society as a whole in order to learn how to respond when a disaster strikes, no matter the type. All disasters start as local. If local responders are unable to manage the disaster, then neighboring communities provide additional resources. The federal government provides resources as means of last resort. Familiarity with resources, knowing who to call, and what to expect is imperative when minutes count. The evidence based theory chosen for this project was the Larrabee’s change model which has 6 steps: assess the need for change, locate evidence to support change, analyze the evidence, design a practice change, implement, and integrate into practice. Because this was a federally developed exercise, the Department of Homeland Security’s Exercise and Evaluation (HSEEP) training program management components were required to develop the exercise. Core components of HSEEP are exercise design and development, conduction, evaluation, and an improvement plan based on any areas needing attention. Both are a continuum of analysis, siple, applicable to medical, industrial and even personal practice. Operation Metro Lift was a disaster exercise, planned in conjunction with the Lyon, NJ Veterans Affairs Emergency Manager as part of a Super Bowl 2014 emergency response plan. An unexpected total government shutdown occured in the Fall of 2013, causing the exercise to be cancelled. Rescheduling occurred a few weeks later, however many of the planned participants were unable to attend, effectively changing the entire exercise plan. Ultimately, what was planned as a tabletop exercise ended up as a discussion shared among the participants. The DoD aeromedical evacuation process was highlighted showing the organizational process, the track system and evacuation of patients from their home of record and return (home) via power point. Discussion developed as federal agencies explored how they all could work to triage and distribute airlifted patients to select New Jersey hospitals. Conclusively, the end results paralleled that of literature, enforcing the need for continued exercise practice, development and scenario challenges designed to train personnel to learn what to work cooperatively, and become better prepared for the unknowne challenge’s the future may bring.
