For many administrators, the task of providing meaningful and timely inservice training for classroom and school safety is difficult. Staff development time is a scarce commodity in today's education environment; therefore, most inservice activities for faculty members center on academic issues. But during an emergency or crisis, a lack of preparation may result in greater tragedy and a tarnished reputation for both the principal and the overall school community. Because this is a possibility, care should be taken and time should be allocated for the training of all staff members for the role of first responder. Tabletop exercises turn out to be a valuable tool for preparing all staff members so that they will be in the position of being able to respond appropriately to a variety of emergency events. A tabletop exercise is a written scenario containing a set of circumstances and facts that create the need for the participant in the exercise to problem solve and make decisions that will bring the event to a conclusion with as few negative consequences as possible. Tabletop exercises help staff members deal with the stress that they will face when they are in a real emergency, and help them to excercise good problem solving and decision making skills. Tips for guiding staff through tabletop exercises are discussed.