The Erie County Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES) coordinated a tabletop exercise for the Erie County COAD – Community Organizations Active in Disaster – on Friday, September 26. The activity was facilitated by the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES), with representatives from dozens of organizations at the Erie County Emergency and Training Operations Center in Cheektowaga participating in a simulated emergency. Goals included improving each agency’s ability to respond, work together and communicate during a crisis.
“Tabletop exercises encourage participants to review emergency plans and work through important questions about roles, responsibilities and risks in a collaborative, low-stress setting,” said Deputy County Executive Lisa Chimera. “Communication and collaboration are central to COAD work, and common themes throughout this project were communicating credibly with the public and with each other, protecting life and safety, maintaining essential services, and moving into the recovery phase quickly and safely.”
“Our department partnered with New York State DHSES to design this activity with realistic weather, infrastructure and safety considerations,” said Erie County DHSES Commissioner Daniel Neaverth, Jr. "The scenario included details that challenged the players to get creative and solve problems in real time while considering the needs of vulnerable populations, without the stress of an active incident or severe weather.”
In the emergency management field, “blue sky” days refer to regular operations, where all systems are running smoothly and an agency is ready to respond to a crisis. Emergencies force organizations to shift to a “gray sky” stance, where staff work directly on response and recovery with urgency and focus. This specific tabletop gave COAD participants an opportunity to present their capabilities and how their expertise could be put to use in a “gray sky” situation. Lessons learned from this scenario will be compiled and evaluated by DHSES staff for use in future emergencies.
The Erie County Executive’s office reorganized COAD in 2023, drawing together partners from the City of Buffalo, local non-profit organizations, transportation agencies and New York State. COAD’s mission is to ensure that people and organizations across Erie County have the information and support they need to stay safe and healthy before, during and after emergencies.
