Empowering Higher Education: IEM’s “Tabletop Exercise in a Box” for VDEM

Preparedness doesn’t happen by accident – it’s built through deliberate planning, realistic exercises, and the right partners. IEM is proud to support the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) across the full spectrum of emergency management: from planning and exercise design to response missions, mitigation strategies, and recovery solutions. Together, we’re helping the Commonwealth prepare for, respond to, mitigate against, and recover from disasters. 

Recognizing the Need: Bridging the Preparedness Gap for Virginia’s Campuses 

In 2024, VDEM identified a critical vulnerability: Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) and local partners lacked a standardized, scalable way to practice for civil unrest. The hurdle wasn’t a lack of will—it was a lack of time and staffing capacity. 

To address this gap, VDEM launched an initiative to develop scalable, customizable exercise templates focused on civil unrest scenarios. They turned to IEM to design and deliver a “Tabletop Exercise in a Box”—a comprehensive, ready-to-use toolkit that would empower IHEs and local partners to lead high-quality tabletop exercises without having to build materials from scratch. 

The IEM Approach: A Scalable, Customizable Exercise Toolkit 

IEM collaborated closely with VDEM, IHEs, and local partner agencies to develop an editable, fully adaptable suite of exercise materials, purpose-built for civil unrest planning and designed for ongoing customization as needs evolve. 

The completed toolkit included: 

• Full planning cycle templates – Agendas, presentation slides, meeting notes, and sign-in sheets for Concepts and Objectives, Initial Planning, Midterm Planning, and Final Planning Meetings 
• Modular scenarios – Up to three selectable modules per exercise with 60+ total facilitating questions tailored to the IHE’s chosen topic, population, location, and timeline 
• Turnkey logistics – Checklists, HSEEP-aligned guides, AAR templates, and senior leadership briefing templates 

The fill-in-the-blank format made the toolkit immediately accessible to facilitators at all experience levels, lowering barriers to implementing the program while maintaining the rigor and quality VDEM’s program demands. 

The IEM Impact: Empowering Communities to Exercise with Confidence 

The “Tabletop Exercise in a Box” equipped Virginia’s IHEs and local partners with everything needed to plan, facilitate, and evaluate civil unrest exercises. The result: more communities exercising more frequently, with greater consistency and measurable outcomes. 

By delivering a reusable toolkit rather than a one-time event, IEM empowered local facilitators to lead with the confidence of a Master Exercise Practitioner. 

IEM’s exercise team are credentialed practitioners. Our team includes: 

• Certified Emergency Managers (CEM) 
• Master Exercise Practitioner Program (MEPP)-certified professionals 
• Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP)-trained specialists 

We don’t just create scenarios. We design exercises that test real capabilities, surface critical gaps, align with planning objectives, and drive actionable outcomes. Every IEM exercise is informed by years of real-world disaster experience, because the best training is grounded in what happens when emergencies unfold. 

Why Emergency Managers Choose IEM for Training and Exercise Programs 

• Purpose-built for your jurisdiction – Customizable templates designed specifically for state agencies, IHEs, and local partners rather than generic products 
• Scalable and reusable – A toolkit built to grow with your program, adaptable across topics, locations, and exercise populations 
• Credentialed exercise professionals – CEM, MEPP, and HSEEP-certified experts with deep real-world emergency management experience 
• Capability-focused design – Exercises engineered to identify gaps, strengthen plans, and produce measurable improvements in readiness 
• Full-spectrum partnership – From exercise design to full-scale emergency management needs, IEM supports jurisdictions nationwide at every phase 

Stronger exercises. Sharper plans. More resilient communities.

Connect with an IEM Exercise Expert →

James Clark

Vice President of Homeland Security and Emergency Management

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Krista Houk

Director of Planning and Preparedness

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Bruce Lockwood

Senior Manager of Planning and Preparedness

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