Earthquake Preparedness Drill Manuals: Step-by-Step Guides for Schools, Businesses, Non-Profits, and Government Agencies (ShakeOut)
These four drill manuals, developed by the Earthquake Country Alliance as part of the Great California ShakeOut program, provide step-by-step guidance for planning and conducting earthquake preparedness drills across different organizational settings: K-12 schools, businesses, non-profit and other organizations, and government agencies and facilities. Each manual is structured around the core earthquake response action of Drop, Cover, and Hold On, and offers four scalable drill formats—from a simple Drop, Cover, and Hold On exercise (Level 1) to a full operations simulation (Level 4)—with detailed instructions for before, during, and after the drill.
While originally developed for ShakeOut drill events across the United States, the manuals are explicitly designed to be adapted for earthquake preparedness drills anywhere and at any time. Each escalating drill level builds on the previous one, progressing from basic life safety practice to tabletop decision-making exercises and full-scale simulations that test an organization’s emergency plan, continuity of operations, and staff readiness. All manuals emphasize the importance of post-drill debriefing, plan updates, and integrating personal and family preparedness alongside institutional preparedness.
Although developed in a US context, these resources offer practical, adaptable frameworks relevant to any organization or National Society looking to strengthen earthquake preparedness through structured drills and exercises, particularly for school safety, organizational continuity planning, and community resilience building.