SummitET Earns ISO Certification

SummitET Earns ISO Certification

by | Aug 8, 2023 | Awards, SummitET News

SummitET, an ISO 9001:2015 certified company

St. Petersburg, FL  – Summit Exercises and Training LLC (SummitET®), a Preparedness Solutions Company®, announced unconditional certification has been awarded for the ISO 9001:2015 Compliant Quality Management System (QMS). ISO 9001 is the world’s most widely recognized quality management system standard.  

The certification process involves implementing the requirements of ISO 9001:2015 and subsequently passing a registrar’s audit. Performance Review Institute (PRI) Registrar recognizes SummitET for having met the stringent requirements of this international standard, their ongoing commitment to satisfying stakeholders, and their dedication to continual improvement of their management system. 

“As a growing small business, quality of our services and client satisfaction are of utmost importance,” said John Duda, CEO of SummitET. “Our team of experts works tirelessly to ensure that we are delivering the best possible solutions to our clients, and by earning the ISO 9001 certification we’re able to objectively demonstrate that we consistently provide services that meet applicable statutory and regulatory requirements, and that we continually improve our processes.”

“SummitET has demonstrated commitment to world class quality management by implementing and becoming certified to the ISO 9001 standard. They have joined an elite number of organizations worldwide who have achieved certification to this globally recognized QMS,” said Randy Daugharthy, Vice President – Registrar at the Performance Review Institute Registrar. “PRI Registrar is proud to partner with SummitET in this accomplishment and looks forward to continued support of their objective of quality management excellence.” 

About SummitET®

Summit Exercises and Training LLC (SummitET®) is a Florida-based, veteran-owned preparedness solutions company that provides proven full spectrum solutions to threats facing U.S. and International government and non-government organizations, as well as private entities through industry-leading experts and impeccable customer service.

 

About PRI Registrar 

Since 1995, Performance Review Institute Registrar, an independent certification body, has certified a multitude of organizations to international quality, environment, health & safety and information security standards. As an affiliate of SAE International, PRI Registrar is a not-for-profit organization, uniquely motivated with a mission and commitment to improve performance in any industry it serves. To learn more information, visit www.priregistrar.org or contact PRI Registrar at priregistrar@p-r-i.org today.  

SummitET News

SummitET Earns ISO Certification

SummitET Earns ISO Certification

Aug 8, 2023

St. Petersburg, FL  – Summit Exercises and Training LLC (SummitET®), a Preparedness Solutions Company®, announced unconditional certification has been awarded for the ISO 9001:2015 Compliant Quality Management System (QMS). ISO 9001 is the world’s most widely...

read more
SummitET Appoints Adam Montella as Senior Vice President

SummitET Appoints Adam Montella as Senior Vice President

Jul 20, 2023

Summit Exercises and Training LLC (SummitET®), a Preparedness Solutions Company®, announced the addition of Adam Montella, MPA, MHS-V, CMP as the company’s new Senior Vice President. Adam is an internationally recognized subject matter expert, speaker, and writer on...

read more
SummitET Appoints Adam Montella as Senior Vice President

SummitET Appoints Adam Montella as Senior Vice President

by | Jul 20, 2023 | SummitET News

Summit Exercises and Training LLC (SummitET®), a Preparedness Solutions Company®, announced the addition of Adam Montella, MPA, MHS-V, CMP as the company’s new Senior Vice President. Adam is an internationally recognized subject matter expert, speaker, and writer on numerous topics relating to emergency management, business continuity, physical and cyber security, homeland security, public health, disaster response, and recovery. 

“With SummitET’s culture of innovation and collaboration, intensely focused on quality and customer service, I am eager to work with such a team of incredibly talented and dedicated professionals to create new and innovative solutions,” said Montella on joining the firm.

With over three and a half decades of direct experience, Adam has worked in senior staff positions or advisory roles in local, state, and federal government, private industry, and non-government organizations. In his role with SummitET, Adam will oversee both programs and operations to effectively coordinate and spearhead initiatives to align them with the company’s strategic goals. 

“Adam’s experience in senior leadership positions and direct response and recovery coordination to presidentially declared disasters including the September 11th terrorist attacks, Hurricanes Maria, Andrew, Hugo, and Katrina; and the COVID-19 Federal Vaccination mission align him well with our core competencies,” said John Duda, SummitET CEO. “We are fortunate to have Adam support and mentor our team. His addition will add to our customer-focused culture.”

In addition to serving as Senior Vice President at SummitET, Adam will continue to serve on the board of the Mid-Florida Chapter Association of Continuity Professionals (ACP), the Curriculum Review and Editorial Boards for the American Public University System (APUS), American Military University (AMU) and Embry Riddle Aeronautical University’s Emergency Services Industry Advisory Board. Furthermore, Adam is a current member of the Department of Energy’s Emergency Management Issues Special Interest Group (EMI SIG). 

Adam has served on the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA’s) National Advisory Council (NAC), the Exercise and Continuity Sub-Committees of EMI-SIG, and was Human Services Branch Chief for the Florida State Emergency Response Team (SERT). In addition, Adam has been a member of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Private Sector Intelligence Analyst Program and FEMA’s Emergency Response Team (ERT). His experience also includes ESFS-6 (Mass Care) lead at FEMA’s National Response Coordination Center (NRCC) and Mass Care Officer for the American Red Cross. 

Adam Montella, Senior Vice President at SummitET
Adam Montella, Senior Vice President at SummitET

Adam Montella

Senior Vice President

Expert Feature
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SummitET News

SummitET Earns ISO Certification

SummitET Earns ISO Certification

Aug 8, 2023

St. Petersburg, FL  – Summit Exercises and Training LLC (SummitET®), a Preparedness Solutions Company®, announced unconditional certification has been awarded for the ISO 9001:2015 Compliant Quality Management System (QMS). ISO 9001 is the world’s most widely...

read more
SummitET Appoints Adam Montella as Senior Vice President

SummitET Appoints Adam Montella as Senior Vice President

Jul 20, 2023

Summit Exercises and Training LLC (SummitET®), a Preparedness Solutions Company®, announced the addition of Adam Montella, MPA, MHS-V, CMP as the company’s new Senior Vice President. Adam is an internationally recognized subject matter expert, speaker, and writer on...

read more

Creating a New Standard for Evaluating Tabletop Exercises

Creating a New Standard for Evaluating Tabletop Exercises

by | Jul 7, 2023 | Resources

By John Duda and Scott J. Glick

Even though tabletop exercises (TTXs) have been used for decades, an industry standard has not emerged on how to evaluate their effectiveness. Since 2012, John Duda, CEO of SummitET, has noted the lack of an industry standard for quantitative assessments of TTXs, which prompted him to develop a rubric for analyzing and measuring exercise effectiveness. Based on their extensive exercise experience in both the government and the private sector, Mr. Duda and Scott J. Glick, SummitET’s General Counsel, have refined the rubric and its scoring of various exercise factors into what they call the XF ScoreTM, which they discuss in their article published by the Domestic Preparedness Journal entitled Creating A New Standard for Evaluating Tabletop Exercises.

Access the full article published by DomesticPreparedness.com.

Read the Full Article
Tabletop exercise design checklist

Go to our checklist for organizations to use to ensure that the critical design elements for a successful TTX are considered.

See Checklist
John Duda, Chief Executive Officer and founding partner at SummitET

John Duda

CEO

Expert Feature
Scott Glick VP and General Counsel

Scott Glick

General Counsel

Expert Feature

Resources

Can You Survive Nuclear Fallout?

Can You Survive Nuclear Fallout?

Watch this YouTube video on the scientifically supported plan of action that could save thousands of lives during a nuclear fallout.

Checklist for Designing a Successful Tabletop Exercise

Checklist for Designing a Successful Tabletop Exercise

by | Jun 29, 2023 | Resources

John Duda and Scott J. Glick

The manner in which a tabletop exercise (TTX) is designed will have a profound impact on the success of the TTX. For example, if an organization is seeking to exercise a policy, plan, or procedure during the TTX, it is essential that the policy, plan, or procedure have sufficient details and is ready to be tested. If the organization’s policies, plans, and procedures have not reached that level of development, then the organization should consider using a seminar or workshop to educate participants and fill in the necessary details before conducting the TTX. A TTX should also be designed to ensure that specific “big picture” goals and “SMART” – specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound –objectives can be achieved.

Most important, a TTX should be designed and facilitated in ways that consider how adults learn best. Dr. Malcolm Knowles, who is known for his groundbreaking research concerning adult learners, and other scholars who have studied how to effectively engage adults, have emphasized that adults learn differently and are motivated differently. As a result, to maximize the learning that takes place during a TTX: (1) TTX participants should be represented during the planning and involved with how their training is delivered; (2) TTXs should be designed to take into account the impact of experiential learning on adults and draw upon their prior experiences and knowledge; (3) TTX participants should be asked to solve problems from the information that is presented; and (4) TTXs should be designed to have immediate relevance and impact to participants’ jobs.  When TTXs are properly designed and executed, their use meets the principles which underlie adult learning.

Based on the foregoing, we recommend that organizations use the following checklist to ensure that the critical design elements for a successful TTX are considered.

Download the Checklist
  • The exercise design team is small, manageable, experienced, and includes trusted agents from relevant participating organizations.
  • The exercise design team has the necessary resources and support from senior leadership.
  • The policy, plan, or procedure to be evaluated has sufficient details to be tested or exercised.
  • Specific “big picture” goals have been identified (e.g., whether the policies, plans, and procedures have any gaps, and establishing relationships among responding organizations).
  • “SMART” – specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound –objectives have been identified.
  • The exercise scenario is tied to the goals and objectives, as well as identified learning outcomes.
  • The exercise scenario is realistic and includes appropriate script and data injects.
  • The exercise scenario is designed to maximize the involvement of all participants.
  • The exercise has been designed and includes facilitation techniques that draw upon the way that adults learn best (e.g., the appropriate use of multi-media).
  • Sufficient time will be allocated for the exercise given the nature of the topics to be discussed, the number of participants, and how the facilitator intends to engage the participants.
  • Exercise participants will be from all the appropriate agencies or organizations based on the exercise scenario and its goals, objectives, and learning outcomes.
  • Exercise participants will be provided with short summaries of key exercise-related information (“one-pagers”) that they can use during the exercise.
  • The exercise has an experienced and skilled facilitator with extensive knowledge about the organization, its mission, the subject matter, and the exercise objectives.
  • Exercise planners have a detailed logistical checklist for the delivery of the exercise (e.g., space and seating requirements, audio and video equipment, microphones to enable all participants to be heard).
  • Technology has been tested in the location of the exercise and is functioning as intended.
  • There are enough skilled and knowledgeable exercise evaluators who can identify key takeaways for use during any immediate “hot wash” and who can record useful data for an after-action report.
John Duda, Chief Executive Officer and founding partner at SummitET

John Duda

CEO

Expert Feature
Scott Glick VP and General Counsel

Scott Glick

General Counsel

Expert Feature

Creating a New Standard for Evaluating Tabletop Exercises

By John Duda and Scott J. Glick

Even though tabletop exercises (TTXs) have been used for decades, an industry standard has not emerged on how to evaluate their effectiveness. Since 2012, John Duda, CEO of SummitET, has noted the lack of an industry standard for quantitative assessments of TTXs, which prompted him to develop a rubric for analyzing and measuring exercise effectiveness. Based on their extensive exercise experience in both the government and the private sector, Mr. Duda and Scott J. Glick, SummitET’s General Counsel, have refined the rubric and its scoring of various exercise factors into what they call the XF ScoreTM, which they discuss in their article published by the Domestic Preparedness Journal entitled Creating A New Standard for Evaluating Tabletop Exercises.

Access the full article published by DomesticPreparedness.com.

Read the Full Article

Resources

Can You Survive Nuclear Fallout?

Can You Survive Nuclear Fallout?

Watch this YouTube video on the scientifically supported plan of action that could save thousands of lives during a nuclear fallout.

SummitET Experts to Attend 2023 National Homeland Security Conference (NHSC)

SummitET Experts to Attend 2023 National Homeland Security Conference (NHSC)

by | Jun 23, 2023 | SummitET News

Summit Exercises and Training LLC (SummitET®) experts are attending the 2023 National Homeland Security Conference (NHSC) and trade show in Chicago, Illinois from July 24 to 27.

The NHSC brings together professionals in Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Fire and Emergency Management to learn about emerging trends in homeland security and see the new equipment, technology, and resources available to enhance their mission objectives.

In support of the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI)’s emergency management needs, SummitET leverages global experience and public, private, and military subject matter expertise to provide exercise and training support in the areas of counterterrorism, weapons of mass destruction (WMD), and chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive materials (CBRNE).

National Homeland Security conference

SummitET’s trainers and program management professionals offer knowledge and know-how with real world event and response experience. Our expert backgrounds include law enforcement, fire services/EMT, emergency management, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security, strategic communications, and more.

Conference attendees can connect with SummitET experts to discuss preparedness solutions for current and emerging threats including exercises, training, and plan development with interagency coordination.

Visit Our Booth

Find SummitET experts at the NHSC tradeshow booth #426 where you can learn more about how we can help prepare your agency or organization. Play our interactive game to win preparedness giveaways including t-shirts marked with the SummitET tagline “Preparedness is not an accident®”.

See Our Preparedness Capabilities

Learn more

Request a Meeting With Our Experts

Leave your contact information and we will reach out to set a time to sit down with you at our booth #426 during the conference. 

Experts at Our Booth

Come visit us at booth #426 in Chicago this July.

John Duda, Chief Executive Officer and founding partner at SummitET

John Duda

Chief Executive Officer and Founding Partner

Expert Feature
Mark Basnight VP of Communications

Mark Basnight

Vice President of Communications and Marketing

Expert Feature
Ron Crane

Ron Crane

Director of Programs Quality Assurance &
Program Manager, Isotope Crossroads

Expert Feature

SummitET News

SummitET Earns ISO Certification

SummitET Earns ISO Certification

Aug 8, 2023

St. Petersburg, FL  – Summit Exercises and Training LLC (SummitET®), a Preparedness Solutions Company®, announced unconditional certification has been awarded for the ISO 9001:2015 Compliant Quality Management System (QMS). ISO 9001 is the world’s most widely...

read more
SummitET Appoints Adam Montella as Senior Vice President

SummitET Appoints Adam Montella as Senior Vice President

Jul 20, 2023

Summit Exercises and Training LLC (SummitET®), a Preparedness Solutions Company®, announced the addition of Adam Montella, MPA, MHS-V, CMP as the company’s new Senior Vice President. Adam is an internationally recognized subject matter expert, speaker, and writer on...

read more