> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.officeridge.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Emergency drill cycle

> Plan, run, critique, and improve — closing the loop on emergency preparedness.

This guide runs one complete drill cycle: plan, run, critique, improve.

The cycle only produces value if it closes. A drill run without critiques, or critiques without
follow-up, leaves your plan exactly as untested as before.

## Before you start

You need the Compliance Officer, Clinical Manager, Location Admin, or Organization Admin role.

## The cycle

```mermaid theme={null}
graph LR
    A[Plan exists<br/>and approved] --> B[Drill scheduled<br/>with facilitator]
    B --> C[Drill conducted<br/>attendance recorded]
    C --> D[Critiques<br/>collected]
    D --> E[Follow-up<br/>assigned]
    E --> F[Plan updated]
    F --> A
```

## Step 1 — Confirm the plan is ready

<Steps>
  <Step title="Check the plan exists and is approved">
    An unapproved plan is a draft. See [Plans and procedures](/emergency/plans).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Verify the procedures name current staff">
    Procedures go stale faster than plans because they name people and phone numbers.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check contingency agreements are unexpired">
    See [Continuity](/operations/continuity).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm the coordination team is current">
    Emergency roles are not reassigned automatically when staff change.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Step 2 — Schedule the drill

<Steps>
  <Step title="Add it to the drill calendar">
    Set quarter, date, and drill type. See [Drills](/emergency/drills).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Assign a named facilitator">
    An unassigned drill tends not to happen.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Notify participants">
    With enough notice to attend.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Vary the timing occasionally">
    A drill always run mid-morning on a weekday tests the easiest possible conditions.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Step 3 — Run the drill

<Steps>
  <Step title="Follow the plan as written">
    Where the plan does not work, that is the finding — do not improvise past it.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Mark attendance for each participant">
    **Attended** drives the participation rate. An unmarked attendee counts as absent.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Record duration and summary">
    On the drill record.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Capture what actually happened">
    Including what took longer than expected.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  **Participation** is what a surveyor examines. A drill with low participation shows that most of your
  staff have not practised the response, whatever the plan says.
</Warning>

## Step 4 — Collect critiques

<Steps>
  <Step title="Collect from participants, not just the facilitator">
    Attendants who tried to reach members see problems coordinators do not.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Record each critique with its type">
    In [Continuity](/operations/continuity).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Group them to find themes">
    A theme raised by several people is the real finding.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Step 5 — Assign follow-up

<Steps>
  <Step title="Set Follow-up on anything actionable">
    A critique without follow-up is a note, not an improvement.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Assign it to someone specific">
    Unassigned follow-up does not happen.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Close it before the next drill">
    Verify the follow-up actually happened.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Step 6 — Update the plan

<Steps>
  <Step title="Revise the plan and procedures">
    Reflect what the drill revealed.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Route for re-approval">
    A revised plan needs approving again.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set the next drill date">
    **Next Drill** on the plan keeps the cycle running.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Open a QAPI initiative for recurring themes">
    A theme appearing at every drill needs measured improvement, not another critique. See
    [QAPI](/compliance/qapi).
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Also review annually

Some preparedness items sit outside the drill cycle but fail just as quietly:

| Item                   | Where                                    | Watch                              |
| ---------------------- | ---------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------- |
| Contingency agreements | [Continuity](/operations/continuity)     | **End** date, phone, administrator |
| IT system readiness    | [Readiness](/emergency/readiness)        | **Backup Power**, **Readiness**    |
| Recovery targets       | [Plans and procedures](/emergency/plans) | RTO and RPO still achievable       |
| Continuity review      | [Plans and procedures](/emergency/plans) | Review recorded                    |

<Warning>
  An expired contingency agreement is worse than none, because you will believe you have cover. Verify
  the backup agency's phone number and named administrator annually — they change staff too.
</Warning>

## Drill cycle checklist

| Done | Item                                      |
| :--: | ----------------------------------------- |
|   ☐  | Plan exists and is approved               |
|   ☐  | Procedures name current staff and numbers |
|   ☐  | Coordination team roles current           |
|   ☐  | Drill scheduled with a named facilitator  |
|   ☐  | Participants notified                     |
|   ☐  | Drill conducted following the plan        |
|   ☐  | Attendance marked for every participant   |
|   ☐  | Duration and summary recorded             |
|   ☐  | Critiques collected from participants     |
|   ☐  | Follow-up assigned to named people        |
|   ☐  | Follow-up closed before the next drill    |
|   ☐  | Plan revised and re-approved              |
|   ☐  | Next drill date set                       |
|   ☐  | Contingency agreements verified unexpired |

## Next

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Readiness" icon="activity" href="/emergency/readiness">
    IT systems, weather, and compliance dates.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Maps" icon="map" href="/maps">
    Find members in an affected area.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>