What an Exercise Reveals That a Plan Never Will!

Plans look great on paper. They’re organized, thoughtful, and reassuring. But an exercise? An exercise tells the truth.

A plan gives you comfort. An exercise gives you truth.

I’ve worked with families and communities who genuinely believed they were prepared.
They had the kits. The plans. The checklists. And then we ran an exercise. That’s when everything shifted.

The Difference Between Knowing and Doing

There’s a big difference between knowing what to do… and actually doing it.

In a plan, everything flows:

• You grab your bag

• You leave the house

• You meet at your designated spot

Simple.

But in an exercise, reality shows up:

• You can’t find your keys

• Your phone isn’t charged

• No one remembers the meeting place

• Someone freezes

That’s not failure. That’s the point.

What an Exercise Actually Reveals

1. The Gaps You Didn’t Know You Had

Plans assume everything is in place. Exercises show you what’s missing. That grab-and-go bag you “have”? Can you actually get to it in under a minute?

2. How People Really React

In an emergency, people don’t rise to the occasion. They fall back on what they’ve practiced. I’ve seen calm, capable people freeze. And I’ve seen others step up, because they knew what to do.

3. Time Is Not on Your Side

Everything takes longer than you think. Leaving in 5 minutes? Try timing it. That simple exercise alone changes how people prepare.

4. Confusion Around Roles

Who’s doing what? Who’s making decisions? In exercises, this becomes very clear, very quickly. And in real life, that clarity matters.

What This Means for Families

You don’t need a formal exercise. You just need to try.

The 5-Minute Leave Drill

Because when something happens, you won’t have time to figure it out.

• Set a timer for 5 minutes

• Grab what you think you need

• Get to your “meeting spot”

Then ask:

• What slowed you down?

• What did you forget?

• What would you do differently?

That one small step can change everything.

What This Means for Communities

In Emergency Support Services (ESS), we see this all the time. Teams are trained. Plans are in place.

But until you run an exercise, until people show up, ask questions, and need help - you don’t see the full picture.

Exercises don’t just test your plan. They prepare your people.

The Truth About Preparedness

Preparedness isn’t what you’ve bought. It’s not what you’ve written down. It’s what you’ve practiced.

Because when something actually happens, you won’t rise to the plan. You’ll fall back on what you’ve done before.

You won’t rise to the plan. You’ll fall back on what you’ve practiced.

Final Thought

A plan gives you comfort. An exercise gives you truth. And once you see the truth - you can actually get prepared.

About Jackie Kloosterboer

Jackie Kloosterboer is an Emergency Support Services (ESS) trainer, facilitator, and the founder of Survive-It Disaster Preparedness. She works with communities across British Columbia to design and deliver practical training and exercises that prepare teams to confidently support evacuees during disasters.

Known for her engaging approach, Jackie focuses on what actually happens when people walk through the doors of a Reception Centre - because in those first moments, everything matters.

She also creates practical preparedness tools for families, helping them move from “we should probably do this” to actually being ready.