Get Out of Your Exercise Rut! Using Games to Bring Extension and Emergency Management Together to Prepare Communities for Disasters

Project Title: Get Out of Your Exercise Rut! Using Games to Bring Extension and Emergency Management Together to Prepare Communi es for Disasters Which funding opportunity are you applying for? (select one) $10,000 - EDEN Focus Area Which of the following area(s) of focus does this proposal most closely align? a) Produc on of publicly available EDEN resources and scholarship. This e?ort will increase the scope, variety, and number of disaster-related materials available on the website. b) Professional Development of EDEN POCs and Delegates. This would include training, EDEN cer ?cates, and related projects to enhance the personal and professional capacity of EDEN Delegates. c) Enhanced membership and par cipa on. These e?orts would generate new ins tu onal memberships, increase delegate numbers, and increase par cipa on, par cularly among underrepresented groups such as 1890 and 1994 ins tu ons. d) Enhancement of partnerships, rela onships, and networks on behalf of EDEN. E?orts under this focus area could include building new funding rela onships with agencies and organiza ons, including, but not limited to, USDA. Project Team Leader/Principal Inves gator Name Andrea Higdon Project Team Leader/Principal Inves gator Email Address [email protected] Project Team Leader/Principal Inves gator Phone Number 859-257-7868 Brie?y highlight the past ac vi es that the Project Team Leader/Principal Inves gator has been engaged in that are relevant to the proposed project. This could include lis ng relevant publica ons, reports, and contributed papers. Andrea Higdon, is the Emergency Management System Director for the University of Kentucky Mar n-Ga on College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. She is responsible for safety and emergency preparedness ac vi es in the College, including emergency ac on plans, business con nuity, mi ga on, training, compliance, and liaison to local, state, and federal stakeholder groups. She is also an instructor for the Na onal Center for Biomedical Research and Training Academy for Counter-Terrorism Educa on and principal inves gator on a variety of disaster educa on projects. List the name and ins tu onal a?lia on of each team member. Melissa Morgan Kandice Williams Chelsey Anderson Sara Green Project Summary (250-word summary of your proposal) The project team proposes a post-conference workshop in conjunction with the 2024 EDEN Annual Conference. During the workshop participants will be introduced to the power of gamification as a tool to facilitate collaborative engagement between Extension Educators and Emergency Management personnel. The workshop provides Extension Educators skills to work with emergency managers to develop and improve preparedness plans for animal issues. In this workshop, par cipants will: ? Understand how games can be used to analyze real-world situa ons and explore decision-making processes. ? Assess how whole community involvement can enhance local preparedness ini a ves. ? Par cipate in an interac ve game-based exercise to build hands-on experience. ? Develop exercise facilita on skills resul ng in future implementa on in their local jurisdic on. Introduction and Problem Statement (150-word maximum) Animal preparedness is often overlooked/not included in community planning activities and when it is, it is not effectively evaluated to determine how to assist the community during a disaster. When people in the face of disaster are given orders to evacuate, problems arise when families are inadequately prepared, especially when those households own animals. Natural disasters can strike at any time, and when they do, they can cause immense destruction and disruption to families and communities. For example, during the recent eastern Kentucky floods (2022), community plans to assist individuals with animals were not robust and/or not effectively communicated to the public. This workshop will empower EDEN delegates to expand the dissemination and reach of disaster preparedness tools to a diverse audience to address human and animal needs during disasters. Methods (250-word maximum) Building upon the recent success of conducting a similar workshop at the Kentucky Extension Disaster Preparedness Conference in March 2024, conducting a half-day workshop at the National EDEN Annual Conference will expand successful implementation of this SLSN funded tool into multiple states across the nation. The activities/methods to accomplish this project include: ? work collaboratively with EDEN conference committee and host personnel for site logistics ? arrange travel for subject matter expert workshop facilitators to attend the EDEN Annual Conference and conduct the post-conference workshop ? adapt workshop presentation for a national audience to include: o utilizing the preparedness cycle to explain the purpose of training and exercises o reviewing relevant components of local emergency operations plans, including emergency support functions o addressing how LADDER tool can effectively improve community preparedness activities with real-world examples o understanding how printed support materials are used to implement the game- based tool o sharing of first-hand experience from an extension agent and community changes that occurred as a direct result of utilizing this exercise tool o interactive discussion of best practices for effective after-action reporting and improvement plan development for sustained impact at the local level ? print facilitator packet materials on high-quality reusable papers for all attendees (game materials, facilitator guide, links to online resources, after-action materials, exercise evaluation guide, marketing materials) ? develop pre- and post-knowledge assessment, participant feedback form, and workshop evaluation ? assess changes in knowledge, skills and abilities and areas for improvement to further improve the tool Data Analysis Procedures (250-word maximum) Data analysis will include gathering quantitative and qualitative data to assess the project outcomes. Evaluation instruments using Likert scales, pre- and post-tests, and gap analyses will be developed to assess outcomes. Due to the short duration period of this project, assessment of medium- to long-term outcomes will be limited. Participants will be asked about intended outcomes and reach to estimate the potential impact of the workshop. Assessment data will be used to analyze changes in knowledge and behavior such as: ? Awareness of resources ? Identification of potential gaps in local capabilities and resources ? Knowledge of local EOP ? Recognition of whole community disaster preparedness partners ? Networking and partnership building Project Timeline: Provide a timeline specifying the activities to be completed over the grant period. ? work collaboratively with EDEN conference committee and host personnel for site logistics ? arrange travel for subject matter expert workshop facilitators to attend the EDEN Annual Conference and conduct the post-conference workshop ? adapt workshop presentation for a national audience to include: ? print facilitator packet materials on high-quality reusable papers for all attendees (game materials, facilitator guide, links to online resources, after-action materials, exercise evaluation guide, marketing materials) ? develop pre- and post-knowledge assessment, participant feedback form, and workshop evaluation ? assess changes in knowledge, skills and abilities and areas for improvement to further improve the tool QUARTER QUARTER ONE QUARTER TWO THREE TASK TITLE TASK May June July August Sept. Oct Nov Dec. OWNER 2024 2024 2024 2024 2024 2024 2024 2024 Project Initiation NA Establish internal paperwork, AH X awards, contract Make initial contact with EDEN Conference committee and host site personnel SG X Project Maintenance Maintain regular contact SG XXX X XX X monthly with EDEN conference committee and host site personnel Manage fiscal expenditures and oversight AH XXX X XX X Project Implementation Arrange travel TEAM X Adapt workshop presentation TEAM XX X Print support materials SG X Project Evaluation Develop assessment instruments TEAM XX X Evaluate data MM, KW XX Develop outcomes report TEAM XX Project Dissemination Conduct workshop TEAM X Submit outcomes report to EDEN FADI team AH X What are the project''s anticipated outcomes/impacts, and how will they be measured? (250- word maximum) Intended Outcomes: ? Empower EDEN delegates to effectively facilitate the LADDER exercise and related materials. ? Increase comprehension of critical disaster preparedness information ? Expand access to and utilization of existing disaster preparedness materials ? Develop foundational skills to establish or maintain partnerships with organizations to improve community preparedness activities