By Greg Barta
In today’s dynamic threat landscape, whether it’s a fast-moving wildfire, a mass casualty incident, or a hazmat spill, no single agency can go it alone. That’s why interagency coordination is not a luxury, it’s a necessity. The Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) has embraced this truth through the strategic use of tabletop drills, working shoulder-to-shoulder with law enforcement, city officials, utility companies, schools, hospitals and other groups.
These low-cost, high-impact exercises help us not only test our emergency response protocols but also strengthen the relationships and communications necessary to respond effectively when the real call comes in. Tabletop drills aren’t just paperwork exercises, they are a vital training tool in the OCFA toolbox, with lessons that can be adapted by departments of any size.
What is a tabletop drill?
A tabletop drill is a discussion-based exercise that walks participants through a hypothetical emergency scenario in a controlled, low-stress environment. It typically involves representatives from relevant agencies gathered around a literal or virtual table, reviewing their policies and decision-making in response to a simulated event. While they may not include actual equipment deployment or field resources, the value lies in identifying procedural gaps, communication breakdowns and coordination issues before they occur during a real emergency.
For OCFA, tabletop drills are an integral part of our preparedness strategy. They allow us to take a holistic look at how multiple agencies interact under pressure and to find opportunities for improvement that might not be evident in isolated single-agency planning.
Partner agency coordination
Orange County is home to over 3 million people and includes 34 cities with a variety of fire and law enforcement agencies. The OCFA serves 23 of those cities and all unincorporated areas, making coordination with external partners a routine necessity. Tabletop drills help bridge gaps across jurisdictions and specialties, ensuring that during a real emergency, everyone is working from the same playbook.
OCFA’s tabletop exercises are designed and facilitated by subject-matter experts, often in collaboration with city staff, law enforcement, school districts and even private sector partners. Scenarios are customized to reflect real-world threats and local risk profiles, ranging from wildfires in the Santa Ana winds to active shooter incidents in public schools.
One of the core tenants of a tabletop drill is that agencies get to know each other long before a major incident strikes. This familiarity and relationship-building goes a long way in ensuring that an incident runs as smoothly as possible. It also enables a more open and productive dialogue year-round.
Real-world examples
The real value of tabletop drills is proven in practice — when agencies apply lessons learned to actual emergencies. The following examples highlight how OCFA and its partners have translated discussion-based training into annual coordinated responses to high-stakes incidents.
1. WUI drills: Orange County
One of the most impactful tabletop exercises focuses on vegetation fires that occur in the wildland/urban interface. These drills occur multiple times a year ahead of peak wildfire season. These WUI tabletop scenarios focus on fast-moving brush fires in a high-risk community, simulating conditions similar to the devastating 2018 Holy Fire.
Partner agencies often include CAL FIRE, the U.S. Forest Service, multiple municipal police departments, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD), local utility companies and city emergency managers. The exercises focus on coordination of evacuation orders, public notifications, resource sharing and unified command structure.
Key takeaways often lead to policy change, increased awareness of how other agencies operate, and a shared understanding of what to expect from each other when these incidents occur. Historically, when real brush fires have ignited following these drills, lessons from the tabletop drills were credited with a faster, more organized response that minimized property loss and ensured civilian safety.
One recent example is the Rancho Fire in Laguna Beach. Just three weeks prior to the incident, partner agencies had conducted a tabletop drill and immediately put lessons learned to use and successfully extinguished the fire with no structures damaged despite them being imminently threatened. The tabletop exercise allowed a more efficient and effective deployment of resources, evacuations, public information sharing, and shared incident command during the fire.
2. Active shooter response drills: Large school districts and high-risk targets
Each year, OCFA collaborates with major local school districts, OCSD, city police departments and city emergency managers to conduct active shooter response tabletop drills on school campuses and other high-risk locations. These scenarios involve multiple simulated injuries, delayed notifications and chaos in a dense urban neighborhood.
The drills have enabled all agencies to identify aspects of an active shooter incident that could prove challenging. Throughout the years of tabletop drills all agencies have been able to modify policy, adjust strategy and tactics, and develop an effective knowledge base on how each agency will react in various scenarios.
In August 2023, OCFA and OCSD utilized lessons learned from multiple tabletop drills as well as hands-on manipulative drills to operate effectively on an active shooter incident at Cooks Corner, a restaurant in Orange County. While this incident was a tragedy, it was also a success operationally, as the shooter was neutralized rapidly and victims of the shooting were rapidly triaged, treated and transported to local hospitals. The speed at which this all occurred was commended by politicians, citizens and those who witnessed the incident. Much of the success can be attributed to the years of prior training.
3. Hazmat incident: Interagency tabletop
At OCFA, hazmat tabletop drills are more than just training, they’re a rehearsal for the moments when every second counts. These exercises simulate high-stakes chemical incidents, pushing responders to coordinate quickly and make tough decisions under pressure.
Around the table, you’ll find OCFA’s hazmat specialists, emergency managers, environmental health experts and law enforcement partners. Together, they walk through a fast-moving scenario — identifying the threat, protecting the public and managing the incident from the first alarm to final containment.
The discussions are intense but collaborative, uncovering ways to strengthen coordination and streamline communication. They reinforce a critical truth: When dealing with hazardous materials, preparation and teamwork are the strongest safeguards against disaster.
By the end of the drill, participants leave with sharpened procedures, stronger working relationships and the shared confidence that they can act decisively when a real hazmat emergency unfolds.
Anatomy of a successful tabletop drill
OCFA’s tabletop drills are successful because they are:
- Purpose-driven: Each drill starts with a clear objective, whether testing evacuation plans, ICS protocols or mutual-aid agreements.
- Inclusive: We bring all key players to the table — fire, law, EMS, schools, hospitals, utilities, city government and community-based organizations.
- Realistic: Scenarios are based on local threats and past incidents to ensure relevance.
- Structured yet flexible: We use ICS forms and facilitate structured discussion but leave room for creative problem-solving.
- Followed by AARs: Every drill includes a formal after-action review (AAR) and improvement plan to help ensure that lessons are not lost.
Lessons for smaller fire departments
You don’t need a large training division or millions in funding to run effective tabletop drills. Here are key steps any department can take to build a program that enhances preparedness and strengthens partnerships:
- Start small, but start: Pick a simple scenario, like a structure fire near a school or a brush fire during red flag conditions. Don’t overcomplicate your first drill. The goal is not perfection, it’s progress.
- Invite the right partners: Even small communities have mutual-aid agencies, schools, utilities and law enforcement. Bring them to the table. Your drill is only as strong as the partnerships it includes.
- Use free or low-cost tools: There are numerous free tabletop templates available online. You can also adapt AARs from real incidents to create your own local scenarios.
- Designate a facilitator: It helps to have someone outside the core response group to guide the discussion. This can be a city emergency manager, a retired chief or even a knowledgeable member of your department with a knack for facilitation.
- Focus on communication: One of the most common breakdowns in major incidents is interagency communication. Practice how your dispatch centers, command posts and PIOs will coordinate during an evolving event.
- Follow through: After the drill, debrief. Identify gaps. Make an action plan. And just as importantly, celebrate what went well. Reinforce successes so they become habits.
Building a culture of preparedness
Tabletop drills aren’t just about testing plans, they’re about building relationships and trust. They offer a rare opportunity for leaders from multiple disciplines to align their priorities before the stakes are real.
For OCFA, these drills have become more than just training, they are an expectation. Our partners count on us to bring leadership, coordination and clarity, not just on the fireline but at the planning table as well.
In a world where disasters are increasingly complex and interdependent, there is no substitute for practicing together. Whether you’re a 1,500-member metro fire department or a 15-person volunteer company, tabletop exercises offer a scalable, customizable and cost-effective way to enhance your readiness. After all, major incidents will always test the limits of your plans, your people and your partnerships. But the time to discover those limits is not during the incident, it’s before, around a table, with your partners beside you.
The OCFA remains committed to helping agencies of all sizes become more resilient, better coordinated and more successful in their mission to protect life and property. Tabletop drills are a vital part of that journey, and we invite departments across the nation to join us at the table.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Greg Barta is a captain and public information officer with the Orange County (California) Fire Authority. Barta is also a PIO on OCFA’s Type 3 Incident Management Team, supporting large-scale and complex incidents. Throughout his career, Barta has contributed to multiple committees and programs, including the Cancer Committee, Mapping Committee, EMS Committee, Peer Fitness Program, and Academy Cadre.
