Exercise & Scenario
Capability
EG Weiss built its reputation and network by creating realistic live field exercises for response agencies. Here at EG Weiss it is all about philosophy and ours is as follows:
Exercises need to be realistic in order to test the knowledge and skills of those responding
Other than administrative personnel (Fire Chief, Police Chief, Emergency Manager, EMS Director, etc) none of the responders necessarily need to know all of the details of an exercise before it is executed. This allows for real-time reaction, real emotion, real anxiety and real response.
Exercises need to be choreographed to the point that the "actors" (non-responding personnel) know their parts and can present themselves as challenges to the responders.
Moulage should be as realistic as possible.
All area responders should be invited to participate and should all receive certificates following the exercise.
Exercises should be documented by photo and video so that each agency responding can receive copies and use them for future training.
Exercises should, if at all possible, present a series of cascading events and not focus on just one issue. This approach makes sure that every agency stays actively involved throughout the entire exercise.
Exercises should, if possible, include real-time response from agencies, entities and organizations that are not normally involved such as:
-ASPCA or local animal control (is there a threat to or from animals in this scenario?)
-Local businesses (if this scenario was real, what involvement would local businesses have or how would they be effected?)
-Local Schools (if the scenario is close to a school, is the school participating?)
-Local Churches (if the exercise is a shooting scenario, will local clergy be on site?
An exercise should have a storyline that begins well before the exercise begins, for example: a young man has been bullied at school for several months. He has been posting on Facebook about retaliating but his posts have been discounted or have gone unnoticed. He has started dressing differently, withdrawing from normal involvements and finally snaps. The exercise is obviously a school shooting but local law enforcement should be able to participate in the scenario not only by responding to the school but by investigating this backstory.
That's the amount of work we put into every exercise. Every one of them. And we want to do that for you. Reach out today to find out just how you can experience the most powerful and life-changing exercise your responders have ever participated in.
Let us tell you a few stories:
It took three years for Anna to get over her abusive first marriage but the day has finally come when she will marry her soulmate John. A small wedding with only 60 guests, the wedding will be held in the community center in their small town. It will be a beautiful wedding but the reception goes completely different when Anna's first husband shows up.
This exercise was created for a statewide EMS conference behind closed doors and was suddenly revealed to the attendees.
One summer ritual for this home school family is an adventure walk in the woods to find different leaves for a craft project. This outing takes a different route when one curious little one wanders away even though mom is only distracted for a moment.
This exercise was held for multiple agencies on a 50 acre property consisting of woods, a play area, two dirt roads and a river.
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Heather has been missing for two days. Her friends last saw her getting into the truck of a man she met at a local bar. Local police have located not only Heather's body but the truck, a weapon and drugs at the scene of what appears to have been a rape and brutal murder.
This exercise was to teach the importance of proper scene lightning.
Four teenagers discover that alcohol and racing stolen vehicles do not mix. After a lengthy police chase the stolen rides end up on top of each other and in flames.
This exercise was held for a rural fire department and EMS agency and included one unconcious teen being ejected into a river.
Sometimes the exercise can be simple as shown here. An experienced officer pulls over a teen with more than a small drug problem and learns the hard way to be careful how evidence is handled.
This exercise was held as a training in the handling of evidence and the dangers of fentanyl.
It is graduation day and the small rural community is celebrating until the skies turn dark and large EF3 tornado strikes the small community just as the sun sets.
This exercise involved over 200 actors and multiple response agencies. This scenario involved partially demolishing buildings, starting large fires and 8 hours of moulage work on the local students who volunteered to participate as the injured and the dead. This scenario included emergency childbirth in one of the homes.
At first, Jon was excited about his first job at the local factory. It was money in his pocket and made him feel important until a group of employees began hazing and bullying him. Every day became a nightmare until the once quiet and reserved teen decides that suicide is the only way out; except he is not going alone.
This exercise involved over 50 actors and was created for multiple agencies.
A beautiful Sunday afternoon means barbeque, horsehoes and riding ATV's, but letting the little ones go hog wild was probably not the best idea.
This ATV accident was created for a group of local agencies.
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Geraldine Largay, known to her friends as Gerry, disappeared on July 22, 2013 after leaving to hike the Appalachian Trail alone. She remained missing for two years. In October 2015, a forester working for the US Navy, which has property bordering the trail, found Largay's remains. This forensic exercise was inspired by this tragic event and was executed in the middle of 400 acres of woods. Every detail mimicked original scene photographs.
Here are some misc. shots from other exercises
Here are some misc. videos from other exercises. Some full length and some clips...
Just hours before nightfall and a ferocious spring storm, 7 year old Jayden has wandered off on his grandfather's farm property. The young lad makes good ground for over an hour before anyone notices he is missing but a 200 year old well stops him cold.
This exercise was held on a 600 acre property for multiple agencies and included over 100 Girl Scouts who volunteer as searchers to find the young boy.
Housekeeping has found a young girl murdered in a hotel room.
This scenario was not a field exercise but was created as a forensic exercise experimenting with 360 degree cameras and forensic scene lighting. Photos were taken using an Insta 360-1 camera and the FoxFury Nomad 360 T56. It has since been discovered that the proper camera is the Insta360 X-3. We hope to recreate this scenario with the new technology soon.