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Three-day disaster field operations exercise tests students’ abilities to respond to a large-scale international disaster
With an increase in back-to-back hurricanes, historic wildfires and unprecedented flooding, preparing the next generation of disaster management professionals to respond in times of crisis is vital for the security of communities near and far. At Florida International University, the Academy for International Disaster Preparedness (AIDP), ranked No. 4 in the nation for its graduate program, is doing just that.
This month, 50 AIDP students got first-hand experience responding to a large-scale simulated international disaster. The three-day field operation exercise was the culmination of a 12-month intensive course that trained students on how to respond to extreme disasters across the globe. The course covered critical topics like deployments, civil-military coordination, reporting lines and authority, damage assessments, and more.
The field operation exercise allowed students to implement what they learned in the classroom.
“A special thank you goes out to our partners, faculty and staff who helped make this an unforgettable experience for our students,” said Javier I. Marques, Vice President for Operations and Safety & Chief of Staff and Executive Director for AIDP. “In addition to what is learned in the classroom, real-life experiences like these are essential for building skills in leadership, teamwork and communication—critical skills first responders must have in times of disaster.”
Boots on the ground
On day one, students were dropped into a fictional country that had been devastated by an earthquake. Divided into teams and led by a student team leader, the students were tasked with assessing damages, coordinating with partners and ultimately putting a plan of action together to respond to the needs of impacted communities.
“You can read all about disaster management and how to respond to a disaster, but there is nothing more educational than responding to a disaster and being boots on the ground and just doing the response,” said Wesley Urrutia, a student graduating this fall with a master’s degree in disaster management.
Students were exposed to various assets typically used during a disaster response, including helicopters, marine vessels, and others.
“The disaster exercise provides an opportunity for disaster management responders to test new equipment, technologies, including tactics and strategies to evaluate their effectiveness prior to the actual disaster,” said Ruben Almaguer, founder of AIDP.
The austere environment also combined other realistic elements typically encountered in the field such as sleeping in cots, no Wi-Fi access and eating MREs (meals ready-to-eat) for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
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