Introduction: A systematic approach is needed for effective coping an incident. In such a system, the preparedness is the top priority. The organization’s readiness depends on some factors, including regular exercises. To conduct a proper exercise it is necessary to have a comprehensive scenario. Despite of repetitive execution of exercises, there is no commonly accepted template for it. The present study aims at selecting preferred method for developing an emergency exercise.

Methods: In the present study, ISO 22398 and HSEEP as the two common patterns were compared through quantifying their usability and chosen by AHP. A panel of crisis experts scored the usability criteria of methods and selected the preferred method.

Results: The assessment of usability of both patterns revealed the preference of ISO pattern in comparison with the HSEEP pattern. The HSEEP method had the better score in learnability and satisfaction, but, the effectiveness, efficiency and total score were higher for ISO 22398.

Conclusion: To develop an emergency scenario, it is necessary to follow a suitable pattern. The pattern presented by ISO 22398 is more usable in comparison with HSEEP paten.