Disclaimer & FAQ — Emergency Exercise Simulator

Training Tool — Not Official Guidance

The Emergency Exercise Simulator is an independent training and awareness tool. It is not produced by, affiliated with, or endorsed by Bristol City Council, Avon Fire & Rescue Service, Avon & Somerset Police, NHS England, or any other public authority. It does not constitute official emergency management guidance, policy, or procedure.

Purpose & Scope

This simulator is designed to support reflection and awareness training for emergency planning professionals and multi-agency responders. It provides a structured decision-making exercise based on realistic but entirely fictional scenarios.

It is intended to complement — not replace — formal accredited training, official exercises, and live operational experience. It does not qualify as a Live Exercise, Tabletop Exercise, or Discussion Exercise under Cabinet Office or JESIP exercise frameworks.

Fictional Scenarios

Operation Ashdown (Brynmoor Hill wildfire) and Operation Solstice (Bristol heatwave) are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to real incidents, locations, individuals, or organisations is coincidental. The scenarios have been constructed to reflect realistic conditions but are not based on any actual event.

Named agencies (Avon Fire & Rescue Service, Avon & Somerset Police, Bristol City Council, South West Ambulance Service, etc.) are referenced to give the exercise authentic context. Their inclusion does not imply these organisations have reviewed, approved, or endorsed the content.

Accuracy & Currency

Scenario content, decision options, and feedback panels are aligned with JESIP principles, the Joint Decision Model, and UK emergency management doctrine as understood at the time of writing. This content may become outdated as guidance, legislation, and best practice evolve.

Users should always verify decisions and procedures against current official doctrine, their organisation's own plans, and the latest national guidance. The exercise content should not be used as the sole basis for any real-world operational decision.

No Liability

The tool is provided as-is, without warranty of any kind — including as to completeness, accuracy, fitness for a particular purpose, or freedom from error. The creators accept no liability for any loss, harm, or consequence arising from use of this tool, reliance on its content, or decisions made in real incidents by individuals who have used this exercise.

The scoring system and outcome ratings are designed to support reflection and discussion. They should not be used to assess individual competence, make employment decisions, or form part of any formal performance record.

Data & Privacy

This tool collects no personal data. There is no account system, no tracking, and no analytics. Decision logs are stored in your browser's local storage only — they never leave your device unless you choose to share them using the in-exercise export function.

The optional exercise record submission sends a summary to an email address you specify. No data is transmitted to any server by this application.

Intellectual Property

Scenario content, question banks, consequence models, and all associated materials are the intellectual property of the creators. The tool is made freely available for non-commercial training and awareness use. Reproduction or adaptation of the content for commercial purposes, or use in formal accredited training programmes without permission, is not permitted. Contact us to discuss licensing or commissioning.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this an official Bristol City Council tool?

No. It is an independent product. Bristol City Council has not commissioned, reviewed, or endorsed it. The Solstice scenario is set in Bristol and references Bristol agencies for realism, but it is not a council publication.

Is it JESIP-accredited?

No. The content is designed to be consistent with JESIP principles and the Joint Decision Model, but it has not been formally reviewed or accredited by JESIP. It should be used as a supplementary awareness tool, not as a substitute for JESIP-accredited training.

Can I use it as part of a formal exercise programme?

Yes — as a discussion exercise aid or pre-exercise primer. It works well as a tool to run before a facilitated tabletop, or to use in group debrief. It does not count as a Live Exercise, Tabletop Exercise, or Discussion Exercise in its own right under Cabinet Office exercise frameworks.

Can I share it with my team or wider network?

Yes, freely. Share the URL. The tool is available publicly and works on any modern browser. No login or installation required. You are welcome to use it in team training sessions, resilience forum workshops, or as self-directed learning.

Can my council or organisation get a version tailored to our area?

Potentially yes — we are exploring whether to support custom scenarios for other areas or hazard types. Get in touch via the Contact tab and tell us what you have in mind.

The content seems outdated or incorrect — what should I do?

Please tell us. We want the scenarios to reflect current doctrine and guidance accurately. Use the Contact tab to flag any specific decision, feedback panel, or guidance reference that you believe is wrong or out of date. Include the scenario name, role, and phase if possible.

Does it work offline?

Largely yes — once the page has loaded, the exercise runs entirely in the browser with no network calls. The only external dependency is the Google Fonts stylesheet (loaded at startup). On a locked-down or air-gapped network, fonts may fall back to system fonts but the exercise will still work.

Can I use the scores to assess staff competence?

No. The scoring system is designed to drive reflection and post-exercise discussion, not to measure individual competence. Scores vary by role difficulty, scenario familiarity, and the inherent ambiguity of some decisions. They should not be used for performance review, selection, or any formal assessment purpose.

What data does it collect about me?

None. No personal data is collected, stored, or transmitted. Decision logs are saved in your browser's local storage so you can review your debrief if you return to the page — they never leave your device. If you use the exercise record export, you choose where it goes.

Are more scenarios planned?

We are considering additional scenarios (flooding, coastal, large-scale community events). No timeline yet. Tell us what your area needs — demand shapes the roadmap.

Get In Touch

We welcome questions, corrections, feedback, and enquiries about using the simulator with your team or organisation.

Good reasons to contact us

Content corrections — guidance links that are broken or out of date, decision options that reflect outdated doctrine, factual errors in scenario text
Scenario suggestions — if you have a hazard type or geography that would benefit from a dedicated scenario
Group or organisation use — if you want to use the tool with a team and want to discuss how to structure it
Custom scenario enquiries — if your council or organisation is interested in a version tailored to your area or hazard profile
General feedback — what worked well, what didn't, how it could be improved

Please note

We are not in a position to provide emergency planning advice, respond to operational queries, or offer formal CPD guidance. For those, please contact your Local Resilience Forum, JESIP, or the Cabinet Office Emergency Planning College.

Questions, corrections, or enquiries — we'd love to hear from you.

Send Us a Message

Opens your email client. Response time is typically a few days.