Preparedness Exercises

Building real capability.
Finding real gaps.

A plan on paper isn't enough. Ascenttra designs, conducts, and evaluates all seven HSEEP exercise types — from discussion-based tabletops to multi-agency full-scale events — so your people know exactly what to do when it matters.

20+
Years designing exercises
7
HSEEP exercise types covered
100%
HSEEP-certificated staff
MEP
Master Exercise Practitioners on staff
Our approach

HSEEP-aligned. Grounded in your plans.

Every Ascenttra exercise is built from your actual plans, policies, and procedures — not generic scenarios. Our Plans-to-Practice Analysis ensures every evaluation opportunity is captured, every participating organization is engaged, and your After-Action Report (AAR) is defensible from day one.

01 — Design
Built around your reality

Dedicated project and deputy project leads. Concept and Objectives meetings. Plans-to-Practice Analysis. Player-Objectives Matrix. Custom exercise branding and scenario development.

02 — Conduct
More than anyone else delivers

Ascenttra News Network (ANN) custom news videos. PRAXIS exercise management system. Real-time player communications. Redundant controller networks. Immersive simulation — no one else does this.

03 — Evaluate
Defensible. Actionable. Yours.

Evaluator Reference Guides. Observations Console. Root-cause analysis. Bulletproof AARs and Improvement Plans (IPs). Corrective Action Tracking System (CATS) included.

Exercise types

All seven HSEEP types. One team.

Exercise programs are progressive. Ascenttra designs and conducts the full spectrum — so you can build capability at every level, from the first seminar to a multi-agency full-scale event.

Discussion-based exercises

Seminar

Orients participants to new or updated plans, policies, or procedures in an informal setting. Ideal for introducing changes and building shared awareness across agencies.

Workshop

Builds specific products — draft plans, policies, or Integrated Preparedness Planning Workshops (IPPWs). Collaborative and outcome-focused.

Tabletop Exercise (TTX)

Key personnel discuss simulated scenarios in an informal setting. Ascenttra's Poll Tool and ANN videos keep players engaged and the discussion focused. No generic PowerPoints.

Game

A simulation using rules, data, and procedures to depict real-life situations. Games enable evaluation of decision-making and — critically — the consequences of those decisions. Scenarios can be replayed and rewound to examine different outcomes in a safe environment.

Operations-based exercises

Drill

A coordinated, supervised activity employed to validate a single, specific operation or function. Focused, efficient, and measurable.

Functional Exercise (FE)

Examines and validates coordination, command, and control between multi-agency coordination centers without deploying field resources. Conducted in real time with simulated inputs.

Full-Scale Exercise (FSE)

A multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional, multi-discipline exercise involving functional coordination centers and boots-on-the-ground field response operating simultaneously. Ascenttra has designed and conducted some of the largest full-scale exercises in the country, with unmatched realism through ANN video, custom graphics, social media simulation, and PRAXIS exercise management.

Technology & tools

More than anyone else brings to the table.

Ascenttra has built and maintained its own exercise technology since 2007. These aren't purchased platforms — they're proprietary tools designed specifically for how exercises actually work.

PRAXIS
Planning, Readiness, Assessment & eXercise Intelligence System

Ascenttra's integrated exercise management platform — covering design, conduct, evaluation, and corrective action tracking. Purpose-built. Nothing else like it.

Ascenttra News Network
Custom news videos for every exercise

Realistic simulated news broadcasts, custom-produced for your scenario. Engages public information officers, senior leaders, and elected officials like nothing else can.

ASTRID™ AI
Secure AI built for exercise professionals

ASTRID™ is grounded in your plans and 1,000+ authoritative doctrinal references. Purpose-built for emergency management — not a commercial chatbot repurposed for exercises.

Player & Controller Systems
Communication that doesn't fail when you need it

Real-time player directories, redundant controller communications including private push-to-talk, FCC-licensed radio cache, and SMS-based evaluator notifications.

Who we serve

Any organization committed to readiness.

Government Emergency Management Healthcare Coalitions & Hospitals Airports & Aviation Public Health Agencies Transportation Agencies Energy & Utility Providers Universities & Higher Education Financial Institutions Law Enforcement Fire & HAZMAT Private Sector Critical Infrastructure
How it works

From first call to final corrective action.

01
Initial consultation

We talk through your requirements, objectives, budget, and timeline. No long procurement process — just a direct conversation with an experienced exercise professional.

02
Plans-to-Practice Analysis

We review your actual plans, policies, and procedures to build exercise objectives and evaluation criteria grounded in what your organization has committed to on paper.

03
Design & planning meetings

Concept and Objectives Meeting, Initial Planning Meeting, Mid-Term Planning Meeting, Master Scenario Events List (MSEL) Meeting, and Final Planning Meeting — all facilitated by your dedicated Ascenttra project team.

04
Exercise conduct

Ascenttra manages the full exercise — scenario delivery, player communications, simulation cell, controller network, real-time evaluation, and ANN news broadcasts.

05
After-Action Report & Improvement Plan

A defensible, root-cause AAR and actionable IP — delivered on your timeline. CATS tracks corrective actions and milestone reminders so improvements actually happen.

After-Action Reports

Bulletproof AARs.
Actionable IPs.

Ascenttra's AARs are designed to withstand scrutiny — from grant reviewers to accreditation bodies to your own leadership. Our Observations Console captures evaluator input in real time, so the AAR reflects what actually happened — not what was remembered days later.

Root-cause analysis built in
Evaluator Reference Guides and Plan Conflict Reports enable targeted observations and defensible findings.
Real-time observations
Evaluators submit findings during the exercise — from any location — via Ascenttra's Observations Console.
Corrective Action Tracking System
CATS assigns action officers, tracks completion status, and sends milestone reminders — so corrective actions close.
Grant & accreditation ready
Client Crosswalk documents compliance with grant, regulatory, and accreditation requirements in a single deliverable.
"

I don't think in all of my career have I ever seen the high level of kudos going on as I am seeing now with this exercise.

Fairfax County, VA Office of Emergency Management
Ready to start?

Let's design your next exercise.

Talk to an Ascenttra exercise professional — not a form, not a sales rep. Call 1-888-MSEL-HLP or email info@ascenttra.com. Your call goes to a person. Your email reaches our staff.

Start a conversation

1-888-MSEL-HLP (673-5457) · info@ascenttra.com · www.ascenttra.com