This indicator is part of Healthy Vermonters 2020 (the State Health Assessment) that documents the health status of Vermonters at the start of the decade and the population health indicators and goals that will guide the work of public health through 2020. Click here for more information.

An After Action Report (AAR) is a consolidation of information gathered during the testing and evaluation of an agency’s emergency operations plan (EOP). EOPs can be evaluated through an exercise or an actual incident. The AAR provides feedback to the agency regarding the achievement of the exercise/incident objectives. Areas for improvement and strengths are gleaned from this process and are included in the Improvement Plan (IP), an appendix in the AAR. The improvement plan details each improvement and associated corrective action. The IPs should be tracked and managed until each improvement item has been accomplished.

The Vermont Department of Health EOP details that “After each event/exercise a critique is held to allow participants to provide input into the development of an After-Action Report (AAR) that captures all recommended changes to existing policies, plans, and procedures/guides”. AARs should be published as quickly as possible, which will ensure that accurate information is recorded, analyzed and tracked to completion. This process enables the department to make substantive changes to policies and procedures.

The Exercise and Training Administrator position was vacant for a time at the end of 2012 into 2013. This vacancy and lack of accountability created a drop in the curve. The position is currently filled and After Action Reports are again being tracked and managed, which has caused the curve to go back up.

Last updated 02/08/2017

The Health Department uses the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program. This is a FEMA program and endorsed by the CDC.

The Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) provides a set of guiding principles for exercise programs, as well as a common approach to exercise program management, design and development, conduct, evaluation, and improvement planning. After Action Reports are a result of the evaluation process and are used to track improvements. Writing these After Action Reports in a timely manner ensures that the data gathered is assembled into the document and is accurate. An After Action Meeting is accomplished to assign a point of contact that is responsible for accomplishing the corrective action.