Emergency Response Tabletop Exercise for Local Government

The Challenge

Emergency Response Readiness in Regional Victoria

The increasing threat of extreme weather events across regional Victoria in Australia highlighted the need for Campaspe Shire Council to assess its readiness for a major emergency. The Council required an opportunity to test its emergency management arrangements in a realistic environment, ensuring that response plans, stakeholder coordination processes, and critical decision-making frameworks would perform effectively under pressure.

Meeting the requirement

Comprehensive Emergency Response Tabletop Exercise

A tailored Tornado Emergency Response Tabletop Exercise (TTX) was developed and facilitated for Campaspe Shire Council which was delivered in person to multi agency responders on May 27^th 2026. The exercise was structured across three progressive sessions that challenged participants with realistic scenario injects specific to local government emergency management:

Initial warning, threat assessment and emergency activation
Escalation, stakeholder management, activation of emergency communication plans, coordination with emergency services, and community support mobilisation
Execution of recovery plans and business continuity measures

The exercise featured realistic media injects relating to severe weather warnings, infrastructure damage, power outages, displaced residents, and disruptions to essential council services.

Participants were required to make decisions under pressure while adhering to Victorian emergency management frameworks and community service obligations.

The strategic value

The tabletop exercise successfully:

Tested the Council’s emergency response procedures against a realistic tornado scenario
Identified specific strengths and opportunities for improvement in their emergency management framework
Enhanced cross-departmental coordination during crisis situations
Clarified roles and responsibilities during a natural disaster
Provided practical experience with Victorian emergency management protocols
Delivered actionable recommendations to strengthen the Council’s disaster resilience

“The tornado emergency response tabletop exercise delivered to Campaspe Shire Council was extremely valuable in testing our emergency management capabilities. The realistic scenarios challenged our team to think critically about how we would maintain essential services while supporting our community during a severe weather event. The exercise highlighted both our strengths and areas where we can enhance our preparedness, giving us clear direction for improving our disaster response framework.”

Kate Goldsmith Campaspe Shire Council Emergency Management Coordinator