Steelhenge Successfully Delivers Strategic Level Emergency Exercise for Senior Officials in the Department for International Development

Steelhenge has successfully delivered an extensive strategic level emergency exercise for senior DFID officials, providing the opportunity to rehearse their response to an emergency event.

Salisbury, United Kingdom, October 18, 2009 --(PR.com)-- Steelhenge Consulting, a leading provider of emergency management and civil contingency exercises, has delivered a strategic level emergency exercise for the top management team of the UK's Department for International Development (DFID). The government department is responsible for delivering the UK's commitment to Third World aid and development, with personnel located in divisions around the world, some in countries with significant risks. For more information, visit www.steelhenge.co.uk or call 0845 094 2117.

The Department for International Development has an emergency structure in place to ensure it is capable of responding to a range of risks including civil disturbance, terrorism, medical emergencies and kidnapping, that may require evacuation or enhanced protection measures to ensure the safety of its staff. "To ensure the continuing readiness of their emergency plans and staff to lead an emergency response, DFID commissioned Steelhenge to deliver a strategic level exercise whereby senior Department officials rehearsed their roles in responding to a simulated emergency scenario," explained Steelhenge's Michael Gilbert, who led the exercise. "The response involved liaison within DFID, with other UK government departments and agencies and with the local state government. Steelhenge used its deep experience of developing exercises to simulate an emergency and create a realistic environment in which the players were given the opportunity to rehearse information capture, decision making and communications processes."

Participants in the emergency exercise were also able to rehearse their response to a wide range of associated issues including media management. "The evolution of the scenario was supported by the injection of media clips simulating a live news service," said Michael. "Participants were prepared for the exercise through a series of training and briefing sessions led by Steelhenge. All of these measures ensured that DFID was able to exercise their response to a credible emergency scenario in a safe and secure environment. As with all exercises there were a number of useful learning points, many of which have already been incorporated into the emergency arrangements."

About Steelhenge
Steelhenge Consulting provides end to end business continuity, crisis management and emergency planning services to a broad range of corporate clients internationally, as well as to UK Government Departments, local authorities, the European Commission and NGOs. Steelhenge also delivers specialist services in energy resilience, utility resilience, ICT continuity management and pandemic planning. Steelhenge has particular expertise in the preparation of people to perform effectively in implementing business continuity and recovery plans, and in communicating both internally and externally with stakeholders during crisis.

Established in 2004, with offices in London and Salisbury, Steelhenge is the UK's leader in the delivery of bespoke training and exercises for staff at all levels from the strategic through the tactical to the operational. Steelhenge's consultants have been recruited from a broad range of sectors in order to create a depth of expertise and knowledge across the resilience landscape. All senior staff have operational experience of crises, incidents, emergencies or disasters, enabling them to deliver pragmatic solutions based on real-life experience.

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Steelhenge Consulting Limited
Isobel Nicholas
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