Ready to get started? Download THREAT for free at the link above and start planning your exercise or activity today!
THREAT (a.k.a. the Tabletop Hazard Response Exercising & Activity Tool) was developed to allow any agency or organization to begin exercising emergency and hazard response immediately.
THREAT achieves this by using as few complex systems as possible while maintaining useful gameplay outcomes and staying completely free to use.
THREAT can also be used by any two agencies or organizations—regardless of their disciplines or areas of expertise—seeking to co-develop and exercise together.
Why is THREAT different?
THREAT is unique because it completely levels the playing field, making emergency response exercising instantly accessible. As long as emergency responders know how many minutes it would take them to complete an action, the game can capture any tactic or strategy and apply it to an exercise scenario. Moreover, any amount of participating agencies can mesh together: firefighters can play with oil handling facilities, and police, and the coast guard, and a private company, all in the same scenario and on the same game board.
Click to expand the images below!
THREAT removes the unnecessary complexity typically associated with response agencies’ tabletop games and exercising by implementing a quick-to-use framework. Moreover, some emergencies move faster than others, so THREAT scales to your response timeframe.
To begin using THREAT, you only need to make 3 decisions…
ONE: Pick the length of simulated time per round.
e.g. 20 simulated minutes per round, 60 minutes per round, 120 minutes per round, etc.—these should correspond to your agency or industry’s operational periods or planning cycle!
TWO: Pick the geographic area for the hazard or scenario you want to exercise.
This could be an area familiar or unfamiliar to your responders, based on your exercising objectives—as simple as pulling a screenshot off Google Maps!
THREE: Pick the scale of the game board.
5 metres per hex, 100 metres per hex, 1 kilometre per hex, etc.—whatever makes the most sense for your tactical assets!
Time to start playing!
Start using the THREAT Jumpstart Package at the link below.
example a
Firefighters Responding to a Townhouse Fire
Two fire engines are dispatched to a local townhouse complex with multiple units on fire and additional units threatened
Given the rapid nature of the response, the rounds are set at 10 game minutes
Each engine must track what it can accomplish within 10 minutes; for example, if it takes 5 minutes to deploy 100 metres of hose, they can only deploy 200 metres before using up all their time in the round
Given the localized nature of the response, the scale of the game board is set at 1 metre per hex
If it takes a firefighter in full gear and carrying hose 1 minute to move 10 metres, and therefore 10 hexes on the gameboard, then they can only travel 100 metres in a round
When police arrive on-scene to provide perimeter security, they can mesh seamlessly into the exercise, defining their actions against the 10 minute rounds
example b
Coast Guard Responding to a Sinking Ferry
Three coast guard vessels are dispatched to a sinking passenger ferry in heavily-trafficked waters outside the harbour of a large city
The rounds are set at 30 game minutes; given the large geographic area of the response, the scale of the game board is set at 200 metres per hex
As the coast guard vessels save lives on the water, tracking what they can accomplish within 30 minute intervals, the local marine pollution response organization arrives on-scene with two vessels of their own
The local marine pollution response organization begins to coordinate their actions
While the on-water response takes place, strategic resources coordinate on land, developing a planning cycle and a recovery estimate, recording their actions in 30 minute intervals
example c
Offensive Military Operation in Unfamiliar Terrain
An offensive military campaign featuring multiple distinct units begins in unfamiliar terrain, with different units arriving in the area of operations over a staggered timeframe
The rounds are set at 3 hours (180 minutes); given the large geographic area of the response, the scale of the gameboard is set at 1 kilometre per hex (0.62 miles)
The units progress through the geographic area while encountering injects to force decision-making, tracking what they intend to accomplish in 3 hour intervals
During the exercise, an allied force arrives; using THREAT, they are able to seamlessly integrate in the gameplay, directing their units and recording their actions using the same gameboard and the same timeframe
THREAT only requires the use of 4 forms—two of which are for planning, and one of which is optional.
Form A - “Exercise & Activity Planning”
This form defines the essential exercise information, including which agency/organization is leading the exercise, the round length, the gameboard scale, the participating agencies and organizations, the primary and secondary hazard factors, as well as key injects. Form A streamlines exercise planning completely, taking only minutes to complete!
Click on the images to see the forms in full!
Form B - “Participating Entry”
This form defines the essential information required from each participating agency/organization, including identifying their total number of participants and players, their lead representative, and the resources they plan to introduce to the exercise. Form B makes partner and cooperating agency engagement simple; with a few basic details, anybody can be integrated into the exercising system.
Click on the image to see the form in full!
Form C - “Round Action”
This form captures the actions taken during the exercise itself, during play, recording the time cost against the round total for each resource in use on the gameboard. Form C quickly captures player intentions, elevating all agencies and resources to a single system for recording their actions during gameplay.
Click on the image to see the form in full!
Form D - “Resource Action Reference Table” (Optional)
This form supports players by quickly identifying standard, non-dynamic time costs for a resource; however, it is entirely optional, as players can be asked to consider all time costs without reference. Form D allows for standardization across the same type/kind of resources and removes the cognitive load for basic actions if required.
Click on the image to see the form in full!
Download T.H.R.E.A.T.
Start using THREAT, the Tabletop Hazard Response Exercising and Activity Tool, by clicking on the link below:
Download and unzip the file package
Use the following file structure as required:
“THREAT_JumpstartPackage_0.1.docx” - Use this Word Doc to get started immediately!
“MS Word Forms”
“THREAT_FormA_ExerciseActivityPlanning_0.1.docx”- Use this Word Doc to plan your exercise.
“THREAT_FormB_ParticipatingEntry_0.1.docx”- Use this Word Doc to identify participating agencies.
“THREAT_FormC_RoundAction_0.1.docx”- Use this Word Doc to capture actions during gameplay.
“THREAT_FormD_ResourceActionReferenceTable_0.1.docx”- Use this Word Doc to support exercise participants during gameplay.
“Resources & Imagery”
“THREAT_hex-matrix_1000px.png”- Use this for small geographic areas, such as a city block.
“THREAT_hex-matrix_1500px.png”- Use this for mid-sized geographic areas, such as neighbourhoods or municipalities.
“THREAT_hex-matrix_3000px.png”- Use this for large geographic areas, such as a city or a peninsula.
“THREAT_logo.png”- Use this to identify the Tabletop Hazard Response Exercising & Activity Tool wherever you see fit!