Exercises & Training
Exercises and training build the capability of people and teams to perform effectively when normal arrangements are disrupted or an organisation is managing an emergency or crisis. Maelstrom Consulting designs and delivers practical, scenario-based exercises and training across emergency management, crisis management, business continuity, and organisational response.
Activities range from focused workshops and discussion exercises through to functional and multi-agency exercises, supported by clear objectives, realistic scenarios, structured evaluation, and lessons identified for improvement.
Exercise Design & Development
Design of exercises to test, practise, explore, or evaluate plans, arrangements, teams, and organisational capability. Exercise development can include objectives, scenarios, injects, exercise documentation, control arrangements, participant briefings, evaluation frameworks, and supporting materials.
Exercises can be developed as standalone activities or as part of a progressive exercise programme.
Discussion, Functional & Operational Exercises
Exercises can range from facilitated discussion exercises and workshops through to functional and operational activities involving Incident Management Teams, Crisis Management Teams, Emergency Operations Centres, business continuity teams, or multiple organisations.
The exercise style and complexity are matched to the objectives, participant experience, available resources, and capability being tested.
Exercise Facilitation & Control
Independent facilitation and exercise control to maintain pace, realism, and focus while allowing participants to make decisions and manage the scenario themselves. This can include lead facilitation, exercise control, role players, scenario management, inject delivery, and coordination of multi-team or multi-agency participation.
Exercise Evaluation & Lessons
Structured evaluation against agreed exercise objectives, supported by participant observations, evaluator findings, hot debriefs, and post-exercise analysis. Outputs can range from concise lessons summaries through to formal evaluation and after-action reports, with practical recommendations for capability improvement.
Emergency & Incident Management Training
Training for personnel working within emergency and incident management structures, including CIMS-based training in Aotearoa New Zealand and AIIMS-based environments in Australia.
Training can range from introductory and awareness sessions through to role-specific and team-based development. Programmes can cover incident management principles, functions and responsibilities, coordination, planning, situational awareness, information management, and decision-making, with an emphasis on applying these skills in realistic operational settings.
Crisis Management Training
Training for executives, senior leaders, and Crisis Management Team members responsible for managing the strategic consequences of significant events.
Training can cover crisis leadership, roles and responsibilities, activation and escalation, strategic decision-making, consequence assessment, information requirements, stakeholder and communications considerations, operating rhythms, and coordination with operational response teams.
IMT & Crisis Management Team Development
Development programmes for established or newly formed Incident Management Teams and Crisis Management Teams, combining training, facilitated discussion, practical activities, and exercises.
Programmes can be designed around an organisation’s own structures, plans, and operating environment, allowing teams to develop shared ways of working, clarify interfaces and responsibilities, and progressively build capability rather than relying on one-off training or exercising.
Business Continuity Training
Training for managers, business continuity practitioners, plan owners, and teams responsible for developing or implementing business continuity arrangements.
Training can include business continuity principles, business impact analysis, continuity planning, roles and responsibilities, plan activation, recovery priorities, and coordination with incident and crisis management arrangements. Content can be tailored for specialist practitioners or for managers who need to understand and apply their organisation’s continuity arrangements.
Workshops & Specialist Training
Design and delivery of tailored training and facilitated workshops for specific organisational or operational requirements. This can include emergency and crisis planning, incident management, business continuity, decision-making, plan familiarisation, lessons management, and specialist programmes developed for particular roles or operating environments.
Training can be delivered as standalone sessions or incorporated into broader capability-development programmes combining workshops, training, exercises, and evaluation.