In a marine wildlife response, a large number of individuals and organisations need to cooperate and work together according to proven techniques and strategies to be effective and successful. The best way to test and train this cooperation is to have an exercise that concentrates on a specific part of a response.

Depending upon the objectives, the size of an exercise may range from a small-scale to a large-scale event. Small-scale exercises may include notification tests to test the correctness of the response plan’s telephone directory or table-top exercises to practice the decision making process in a wildlife response centre. Larger-scale exercises may include an equipment mobilizing exercise or the mobilization of a whole response system including people, facilities and equipment.

Sea Alarm can provide advice and can facilitate the design, planning and management of exercises. For a number of objectives, off-the-shelf table-top exercises are already available.

Sea Alarm’s own emergency response system is also regularly tested as part of oil industry exercises in which Oil Spill Response is involved. In these cases an oiled wildlife scenario runs as part of a larger oil spill response set-up, and Sea Alarm is contacted as part of the response plan to advise and/or assist in the mobilization of response teams or equipment.