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After-Action Reports: Capturing Lessons Learned and Identifying Areas for Improvement
Title: After-Action Reports: Capturing Lessons Learned and Identifying Areas for Improvement
Date: 2007
Author: Emergency Response and Crisis Management Technical Assistance Center
Institution: U.S. Dept. of Education
Bibliographic Entry: Emergency Response and Crisis Management Technical Assistance Center. “After-Action Reports: Capturing Lessons Learned and Identifying Areas for Improvement.” Lessons Learned from School Crises and Emergencies 2, no. 1 (2007): 1-6.
Electronic Link: http://www.ercm.org/views/documents/After_ActionReports.pdf
Key Words: school emergency management planning, after-action reports
Summary of Key Points, Issues, Conclusions:
Emergency management planning comprises four phases: prevention-mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery, intricately linked to form the foundation for efficient emergency response and operations. Along with exercises, after-action reports are key components of emergency management planning.
After-action reports serve a threefold purpose. They provide an opportunity for those involved in an exercise to: 1.) identify areas in the current emergency management plan in need of improvement, 2.) make improvement recommendations, and 3.) capture key lessons learned. The key components of after-action reports are:
• Overview
• Goals and objectives
• Analysis of outcomes
• Analysis of the capacity to perform critical tasks
• Summary
• Recommendations
In the summer of 2006, the Emergency Response and Crisis Management (ERCM) Technical Assistance (TA) Center solicited 14 after-action reports from recipients of the U.S. Dept. of Education's ERCM Grant Program. After compiling the lessons learned by the school districts exercises, the five components were found to be included in emergency management plans:
• Coordinate and test emergency response capacity in collaboration with community partners by activating the ICS
• Assess response time and quality of response
• Examine effectiveness of communications plans with community partners, school staff, students, parents and guardians as well as the public
• Identify training needed by first responders, crisis response team members, school staff and students
• Incorporate lessons learned from after-action reports into emergency management plans
The lessons learned by the school districts primarily focused on activities taking place during the prevention-mitigation and preparedness phases of planning. The debriefings preceding the reports help schools and districts analyze functioning of school personnel and first responders during an exercise or actual emergency.
Name of Researcher: Alison Stevens
Institution: Integrative Center for Homeland Security, Texas A&M University
Date Posted: February 21, 2007