Shelter-in-Place Tabletop Exercise for Insurance Companies

This exercise is part of our catalog of tabletop exercises for insurance companies.

Scenario Overview

Participants work as the management team of a fictional insurance company when a loud explosion shakes the building and a news report announces that all area buildings must shelter in place due to a bombing and possible hazardous conditions. With little warning and limited information, the organization is thrust into a high-stress situation.

As the incident develops, employees become unsettled and angry, radiation is reported in the area, and some employees require medication or assistance. Leadership must manage growing anxiety, maintain order, and make decisions about how to continue operations while keeping employees and guests inside the building.

This exercise challenges insurance leaders to manage a prolonged shelter-in-place event involving employee safety concerns, communication challenges, access control, and operational disruption under uncertain and stressful conditions.

Why This Scenario Matters for Insurance Companies

Insurance companies must maintain safe working environments while continuing to serve customers and meet operational and regulatory expectations. A shelter-in-place situation caused by a nearby incident can immediately affect employee safety, building access, and the ability to continue normal operations.

This exercise helps leadership teams evaluate how they would respond when employees and guests must remain inside for an extended period, requiring coordination across safety, communications, operations, and facilities management.

Exercise Objectives

• Evaluate leadership decision-making during a prolonged shelter-in-place event.
• Discuss how to protect employees and guests while maintaining operational control.
• Review communication strategies with employees, responders, and stakeholders.
• Assess building access control and security during restricted movement conditions.
• Examine operational challenges when normal workplace movement is limited.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen emergency response and continuity planning.

Typical Participants

• Executive leadership
• Operations and claims leadership
• Facilities leadership
• Human resources
• Communications or public affairs staff
• Security or safety personnel
• Business continuity or crisis management team members

Exercise Format

Conduct-It-Yourself Tabletop Exercises are structured, discussion-based simulations designed to help organizations test their response to disruptive events without the time and cost of a fully facilitated exercise. Participants are placed in the middle of a realistic scenario as it unfolds and must work through decisions, priorities, and consequences as a leadership team.

Each downloadable exercise package includes everything needed to conduct the session internally, including facilitator instructions, exercise overview materials, participant forms, a detailed scenario script, and a ready-to-run PowerPoint presentation that guides the scenario and discussion. The materials are designed so organizations can conduct the exercise as delivered or customize the storyline and supporting materials to reflect their own operations, business lines, and testing objectives.

Most exercises are designed to be conducted in approximately 2 to 4 hours. A typical agenda includes an exercise overview and scenario briefing, the facilitated disaster simulation discussion, group review and preparation for debriefing, and a structured post-exercise discussion to capture lessons learned and improvement opportunities.

Exercise Focus

• Emergency Response
• Shelter-in-Place
• Evacuation
• Building Operations

Related Tabletop Exercise Scenarios

Organizations exploring this scenario may also find these exercises useful:

• Cyber Crime Tabletop Exercise for Insurance Companies
• Pandemic Tabletop Exercise for Insurance Companies
• Train Wreck Tabletop Exercise for Insurance Companies
• Gas Main Explosion Tabletop Exercise for Insurance Companies
• Workplace Hostage Tabletop Exercise for Insurance Companies
• Hurricane Tabletop Exercise for Insurance Companies
• Tornado Tabletop Exercise for Insurance Companies

Purchase & Download

This exercise is delivered as a downloadable package that includes facilitator instructions, scenario materials, and structured discussion prompts to guide the exercise.