It's a sentence many of us in emergency management have heard before.

On paper, it can seem like an easy decision. Training can wait. The exercise can be pushed back. The budget looks healthier.

But here's the question I'd ask...

Would you rather discover a weakness during an exercise... or during a real emergency?

Capability isn't something you buy when you need it. It's something you build long before you need it.

The organisations that consistently perform well in disasters, emergencies and major incidents rarely do so because they have the biggest budgets. They succeed because they've invested in their people, exercised their plans, built relationships and learnt from previous experiences.

Exercises aren't about ticking compliance boxes. They're about creating confidence.

• Confidence that leaders can make difficult decisions.
• Confidence that agencies understand each other's roles.
• Confidence that communication pathways work.
• Confidence that when the pressure is on, people won't be meeting each other for the first time.

I

ronically, when budgets become tighter, the value of exercising actually increases.

A well-designed discussion exercise costing a fraction of a real incident can identify vulnerabilities that, if left undiscovered, may cost millions in response, recovery, reputational damage or, most importantly, people's safety.

Preparedness is never free. Neither is being unprepared.

At Shepherd Consulting Services we've worked with organisations of every size—from critical infrastructure operators and airports to emergency services and government agencies. One lesson remains constant:

The cost of an exercise is visible on this year's budget.

The cost of not exercising usually appears in next year's inquiry report.

Have you ever seen a lesson identified in an exercise that would have become a major issue during a real event?

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