Why Tabletop Exercises Matter

The first time I attended a tabletop, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was a new lieutenant tasked with being the incident commander for an upcoming concert. I remember getting the invite and realizing I didn’t even know what a tabletop exercise was, let alone why it mattered.

I walked into a conference room and found a seat with a placard that had my name on it. Underneath my name were the words “Incident Commander.” I looked around and saw similar placards for others in the room.

But it wasn’t just police personnel. There were representatives from the fire department, EMS, event staff, emergency management, and even meteorology. The presenter, another lieutenant, began by introducing everyone. Then he had us go around the room, sharing our names, roles, and experience. That process took nearly 30 minutes.

Once the introductions were done, he walked us through a scenario. A police pursuit ends in a crash at the concert venue, followed by a foot chase and an officer-involved shooting. At each stage, the facilitator asked how we would respond. I started off by assigning police resources and coordinating with medical and event staff. We discussed how we would communicate with concertgoers and what that messaging would look like.

By the end of the exercise, I knew everyone I would be working with, what they were responsible for, and what resources they brought to the table.

A week later, the concert took place. Everyone from the tabletop was present in the command post, and the event ran smoothly with no major issues.

That’s when I realized the real value of tabletop exercises. They are not just about practicing a scenario. They are about building the team you will rely on when things go sideways. They prepare people, not just plans.

Tabletops improve several critical aspects of major event response:

• Better communication: When you understand each person’s role and capabilities, you can coordinate based on real experience instead of assumptions.

• Stronger relationships: Knowing the faces, names, and responsibilities of your team members ahead of time builds trust and confidence when the pressure hits.

• Clearer roles and responsibilities: Tabletops force people to explain what they do and where they fit in. This prevents duplication of effort, missed steps, and confusion during real-world incidents.

• Faster decision-making: When teams have already walked through tough choices in a low-stress setting, they are better prepared to make quick, informed decisions under pressure.

• Improved coordination across agencies: These exercises break down silos. Police, fire, EMS, and civilian staff learn how their actions affect one another, which leads to smoother joint operations.

• Identification of blind spots: Tabletop scenarios often reveal gaps in planning, communication, or resources. It is better to discover those in a conference room than during a real emergency.

• Confidence in the plan: Going through the process together builds buy-in. Everyone sees how the plan works and understands the reasoning behind it.

• Practice with flexibility: No event goes exactly as planned. Tabletops help teams think through curveballs and adapt while still working toward a common goal.

• Documentation and improvement: Good tabletops result in lessons learned. After-action reviews can be used to refine plans, update checklists, and improve protocols before game day.

  
  

If you are planning a large event or you are in charge when one goes off track, a tabletop exercise might be the most valuable preparation you can do.

Later in my career, I went from being the person sitting at the table to the one facilitating the exercises. I had extensive experience with large events and critical incidents, and I was able to draw on that background to run tabletop exercises that were relevant, realistic, and valuable to everyone involved. I oversaw planning and facilitation for some of the largest events in Las Vegas, including Formula 1, the NFL Draft, EDC, and many others.

Now, through Bitsko Consulting, I bring that same approach to agencies and event planners across the country. I design and run customized tabletop exercises that focus on collaboration,

communication, and real-world problem solving. Whether it's a major sporting event, a concert, or a crisis scenario, my goal is to help teams prepare in a way that actually works when it counts.