Project Overview

Large entertainment venues present unique preparedness challenges due to high visitor volumes, complex infrastructure, and the need for coordinated public-private response.

I designed and facilitated a regional tabletop exercise centered on a simulated active threat incident at Kings Island, bringing together healthcare organizations, law enforcement, EMS, fire departments, emergency management, and private-sector leadership to evaluate coordinated response strategies.

The Challenge

An active threat incident at a major entertainment venue requires rapid coordination among numerous agencies while simultaneously addressing:
-Incident command.
-Mass casualty triage.
-Patient distribution.
-Family reunification.
-Public information.
-Resource coordination.
-Operational continuity.

The exercise needed to challenge both operational responders and executive decision-makers while fostering collaboration between public safety agencies and private-sector leadership.

My Approach

Responsibilities included:
-Developing a realistic active threat scenario.
-Coordinating multidisciplinary planning meetings.
-Facilitating collaboration between public and private partners.
-Creating exercise documentation and evaluation tools.
-Managing exercise facilitation.
-Leading After-Action Reviews.
-Developing Improvement Plans.

Results & Impact

The exercise strengthened coordination among emergency response agencies and private-sector partners while identifying opportunities to improve unified command, patient movement, family reunification, and crisis communication.

Skills Demonstrated:
-Active Threat Planning
-Exercise Facilitation
-Public-Private Partnerships
-Executive Coordination
-Emergency Management
-HSEEP Methodology
-Stakeholder Engagement
-Crisis Communications

Key Takeaways

Preparedness for complex incidents requires trusted relationships between public safety agencies and private organizations. This exercise strengthened those relationships while improving coordinated response planning for one of the region's largest public venues.