Computer game to train first responders
Sep 7, 2006 3:08 PM
A Maryland company has developed a computer game to train emergency responders who are forced to make split-second life-and-death decisions, the Washington Times reports.
"Incident Commander," developed by BreakAway Ltd., simulates crisis scenarios including a severe storm, a natural disaster, a school hostage situation and a terrorist attack.
The game was developed for the Department of Justice as part of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) mandated after the Sept. 11 attacks. (for more on NIMS check out the GOVERNMENT SECURITY feature, Preparing Better for the Worst)
As many as 16 players can train simultaneously on computers at work or from home, assuming the role of the commander or a member of the operations team.
"Getting people together and making them work with each other through an incident really prepares the ground," Doug Whatley, BreakAway's founder and CEO, told the newspaper. "That's why police and fire departments and hospitals have exercises where they shut down for a day.
"But that's a very expensive proposition," he continues. "[The software] allows a lot of the key people to do it in a time-effective fashion without having to get together. It's not that we're doing anything new; we're doing it in a way that doesn't cost millions of dollars."
The Department of Justice plans to distribute "Incident Commander" to every municipality in the country, Whatley says, adding that the game is particularly helpful for small towns that do not have the resources of larger cities such as New York or Washington.
The game simulates the chaos of emergency situations. For example, the game's severe-storm scenario challenges players with broken water mains, gas leaks, destroyed buildings, obstructed roads and injured civilians. Users can customize the simulation according to their locality.
"It forces you to go through the process that you need to work within the National Incident Management System," Joseph Barlow, a member of the Illinois Medical Emergency Response Team, told the Washington Times.
The scenarios compress days and weeks into games lasting several hours. Users can play from start to finish or pause and complete the simulation during multiple sessions. The game scores players on public safety, based on how many civilians are killed or injured; media, or how the incident played out on television; and total cost of the response.
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