Training & Exercise

Emergency preparedness training and exercises are not open to the public. Community Outreach events are open to the public. Official agency representatives who want to observe exercises may contact the Office of Emergency Management about attending.  

Exercise Schedule 

Exercises are a key component of national preparedness-they provide elected and appointed officials and stakeholders from across the whole community with the opportunity to shape planning, assess and validate capabilities, and address areas for improvement in a low risk environment.  

  • Annapolis City Wide Exercise 

Every year, the Office of Emergency Management hosts a citywide exercise to "test plans and systems and obtain lessons learned." (City code section 11.48.060(c)(7). This years citywide exercise focused on how the City would respond to a derecho. Every department in the City of Annapolis participated in this years exercise. Overall, the Office of Emergency is pleased with the performance of the City and have successfully identified areas for future improvement. 

  • Dam 135 Tabletop Exercise (April 25, 2022)

Every five years the City of Annapolis is required to conduct a tabletop exercise of our Dam 135 Emergency Action Plan. Updating and testing our plan on a five year basis ensures the City of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County emergency response is knowledgeable of dam operations and can respond accordingly. 

  • Food and Water Distribution Tabletop Exercise (May 18, 2022)

Once a local disaster is declared, the Office of Emergency Management will activate the Emergency Supplies Distribution Plan to ensure emergency supplies and basic services are delivered to residents that have been impacted by a major disaster. This exercise brought together stakeholders to help identify any capability or operational gaps that may be present.

Training Schedule

All training has been postponed due to COVID-19. This schedule will be updated once new dates have been established.

Upcoming Conferences

We encourage our staff to increase their general knowledge and learn about new trends and best practices while providing them with the opportunity to establish new working relationships with other professionals. Here are some of the training venues you will find Annapolis OEM staff this year: 

The National Hurricane Conference brings together federal, state, and local officials a chance to exchange ideas when it comes to incoming hurricane preparedness.

Past Conferences

The National Homeland Security Conference, sponsored by the National Homeland Security Association, is an     annual meeting of both local Homeland security and emergency managers from throughout the nation.

The IAM Annual Conference provides a forum to discuss current trends and topics, share information about the latest tools and technology in emergency management and homeland security, and advance the work of IAEM. Conference Sessions encourage stakeholders at all levels of government, the private sector, public health and related professions to exchange ideas and collaborate to protect lives and property from disaster.  


The Maryland Emergency Management Association Symposium brings together emergency management personnel from across the state to collaborate and learn from one another.  

NOTE: These conferences are available to the general public and will have a fee attached in order to attend. For more information, click on the name of the event that interests you.