Avagene Moore: Welcome to the EIIP Virtual Forum! Amy Sebring, my partner/associate, and I are pleased you are with us today! Avagene Moore: Today's topic is an overview of "Incident Commander: First Responder Crisis Training Simulation." If you have not read the background materials, including our speaker's bio, please do so at your convenience after today's session. Avagene Moore: For the benefit of any first-timers, we will begin today's session with a formal presentation followed by an opportunity for your questions. Avagene Moore: Please note that our speaker will be using slides of Incident Commander screen shots in his presentation. When you see a blue Web address (URL), you can click on it and the referenced Web page should appear in a browser window. Avagene Moore: After viewing / reading the slides, the browser window may not automatically come to the top, so you may need to bring it forward by clicking on a button at the status bar at the bottom of your screen. Amy Sebring: I can repeat instructions here Ava... Avagene Moore: All right. Amy Sebring: For those who have pop up blockers that may prevent accessing the "slides" we are going to use today, ... Amy Sebring: test on this URL http://www.emforum.org/vforum/IC/slide01.htm Amy Sebring: If nothing happens, you can either try to disable the pop up blocker, or you can open a NEW browser window, navigate to today's background page, and access the slides from there. Avagene Moore: The slides will also be linked in the transcript. Avagene Moore: We will give you a few seconds to read / view the slides before going on with formal remarks. Please come back to the chat screen so you can keep up with our speaker. Avagene Moore: We will provide further instructions on the protocol for asking questions or commenting just before we begin the Q&A part of our session. However, it is wise to jot down your questions or comments as we go along. Avagene Moore: Please do not send private messages to our speaker or the moderator, as we will be busy with the presentation. If you need assistance, you may send a private message to Amy Sebring. Avagene Moore: The transcript of today's session will be available late this afternoon or early this evening -- just check back on our home page. Avagene Moore: It is a pleasure to introduce Lucien Parsons, Executive Producer and Director of Platform Products, BreakAway Ltd of Hunt Valley, MD, manufacturer of Incident Commander. Avagene Moore: Lucien's professional background includes systems engineering and project management consulting in the enterprise software, finance, and transportation industries. Avagene Moore: He holds an MBA in Innovation Management and Marketing from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and a MA in International Technology Policy from the Johns Hopkins School. Avagene Moore: We are also pleased to have with us today Josh Johns, Marketing Director for the company. Josh is helping Lucien and has been very helpful in preparing for today's session. Avagene Moore: Welcome Lucien and Josh! Lucien, I now turn the floor to you. Lucien Parsons: Thank you, Avagene. It's my pleasure to be here to talk about Incident Commander, which is a simulation training tool designed to improve communication and cooperation among multi-agency teams responding to natural and manmade disasters. Lucien Parsons: I'd like to start by introducing our company, BreakAway Ltd: We are a game development company in Hunt Valley, Maryland. Since 1998, we have produced a number of award-winning entertainment game titles as well as a number of what we call "serious games" Lucien Parsons: that use game-based technology to create simulations for training applications and decision-making analysis for military and government clients, such as the Department of Justice, which helped to fund Incident Commander. Lucien Parsons: So lets start with, "how did the idea of using a "game" for first responder training begin?" Lucien Parsons: After the Department of Homeland Security created the National Incident Management System (NIMS), the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) - a research and development agency of the U.S. Department of Justice - needed a way to assist smaller local governments across the country to become NIMS-compliant. Lucien Parsons: Nationwide live training exercises would have been far too expensive, so the NIJ decided that the most cost-effective way to accomplish its goals would be to create a serious game that would teach the Incident Command System. In partnership with the NIJ, BreakAway created Incident Commander, a serious game that models real-world crisis situations within a community. Lucien Parsons: Avagene, slide 1 Avagene Moore: http://www.emforum.org/vforum/IC/slide01.htm Lucien Parsons: By leveraging our game expertise and technology, we created a training game that offers affordable, accessible, and effective incident management training to first responders from a variety of agencies - and does it in an interactive and engaging way. Lucien Parsons: The game puts players in the role of Incident Commander and scores them on their effectiveness in using the protocols of the incident command system to manage the response. Scenarios include a school hostage situation, a courthouse bombing, a chemical spill, and the aftermath of a major storm. Here's a screenshot from the chemical spill scenario - Avagene, slide 2 Avagene Moore: http://www.emforum.org/vforum/IC/slide02.htm Lucien Parsons: The map shows the location of the incident - in this case, the train wreck down at the lower center part of the screen, as well as nearby resources and civilians Lucien Parsons: Triangles represent people; Diamonds represent vehicles, and they are color-coded according to the role they play. Blue for police; purple for EMS; red for fire; yellow for public works and green for civilians. Lucien Parsons: You can zoom in on the incident by clicking the map, and from this screen you can begin to manage your response by selecting appropriate choices from the menu of actions. You can also click on the area map to manage resources in neighboring areas as well as resources in your town. Avagene, slide 3 Avagene Moore: http://www.emforum.org/vforum/IC/slide03.htm Lucien Parsons: The scenario continues to unfold as you devise your plan. The chat window in the lower right hand corner reveals new information as it becomes available - such as new information, new available resource points, or new trouble spots. Lucien Parsons: You can also use this window to communicate with other units in multiplayer scenarios, which emphasizes the collaborative aspect of the game, since cooperation and communication are crucial to successful outcomes. Lucien Parsons: Avagene, slide 4 Avagene Moore: http://www.emforum.org/vforum/IC/slide04.htm Lucien Parsons: The scenarios are designed to be as realistic as possible, with hazards and obstacles that hamper response and affect your response strategy Lucien Parsons: In this scene from the storm recovery scenario, for instance, downed trees and power wires require you to summon public works resources to clear roads before you can effectively deploy EMS teams. Failure to do so has an impact on how the scenario unfolds - and on your final score. Avagene, slide 5 Avagene Moore: http://www.emforum.org/vforum/IC/slide05.htm Lucien Parsons: The incident commander can manage all available resources and their allocation, or can delegate the management of these resources to other players. The system offers resources that are relevant to the incident, but by having the player select how to deploy them, it forces you to use your resources wisely. Lucien Parsons: There is also a status window in the lower center of the screen. This window provides information about the health and condition of units you select in the incident window. This lets you know how your resources are holding up and whether they need to be relieved. Lucien Parsons: Avagene, slide 6 Avagene Moore: http://www.emforum.org/vforum/IC/slide06.htm Lucien Parsons: At end of exercise, an after action report is displayed to score player performance in a variety of categories. You can determine in which areas players are strong and which areas need more work, and individual players can understand which approaches are successful and which are not. Lucien Parsons: Through repeated use of the game, responders will learn to anticipate potential problems in actual crisis situations, and appropriately position personnel, vehicles and other resources to resolve them. Lucien Parsons: The scenarios are very engaging to play, and the multiplayer approach even encourages competitive play within and between agencies. But the critical point to remember is that the game logic is grounded in NIMS protocols and the engagement is helping responders learn vital lessons. Lucien Parsons: The game can be played solo or with teams where agencies are represented by other players. Solo play allows independent skills development Lucien Parsons: The current version of Incident Commander allows up to 16 people to play in any role and up to 6 observers to watch and record actions over the Internet or on a local area network (LAN). Lucien Parsons: Incident Commander was designed to run on PCs running Windows 98, Windows 2000, or Windows XP. Lucien Parsons: The DOJ is in the process of publishing the product and Incident Commander is available free of charge to any qualified government agency that requests it. It is designed specifically for small to medium-sized agencies in communities with fewer than 500,000 residents. Lucien Parsons: Requests for copies and more information are available at http://www.incidentcommander.net/ Lucien Parsons: This concludes the presentation portion of today's chat. I'd like to turn things back to Avagene at this point. Thank you for joining me today to learn about Incident Commander. Avagene Moore: Thank you, Lucien, for your overview of Incident Commander. I am sure there are several questions for you from our audience. ... Avagene Moore: Our protocol for audience questions is to enter a question mark ? to indicate you wish to ask a question or make a comment. ... rick tobin: ? Avagene Moore: Then go ahead and compose your question or comment to have it ready, but do NOT hit your Enter key or click on the Send button until you are recognized by name. Please WAIT your turn. ... Avagene Moore: But be ready when you are called upon. ... gerald isaacson: ? ken doige: I have been a first respopnder (Police for many years and now teach incident command at a Toronto Community College can I get a copy for my classes Avagene Moore: Wait a minute Ken ... Avagene Moore: We will take questions in the order the question marks are sent to the screen. One question at a time please. If you have a follow up question, please get back in line with another ? - we want to be courteous and give everyone an opportunity to speak and ask a question. ... Avagene Moore: We are ready to begin now. Please input a question mark (?) at any time. ken doige: ? Avagene Moore: Ken's question is above, Lucien. Will you please take it? Avagene Moore: Finish up your question Ken. Lucien Parsons: sure. Nancy Mills: ? Scott at DMIS: ? Steve Reichman: ? Michael Wallmark: ? ken doige: It would be an excellent teaching tool. How can I reach you for this Cynthia Matherne: ? Cliff Sweet: ? Lucien Parsons: the DOJ is responsible for distributing the copies to all qualified responders. They determine who will get them ken doige: Will they send to Canada as well Lucien Parsons: however, BreakAway is also in the process of creating a commercial version for academic and corporate use. Avagene Moore: Want to input the URL again, Lucien? ken doige: Thank you I will contact you directly Lucien Parsons: please see the website http://www.incidentcommander.net/ Lucien Parsons: and register there Avagene Moore: Will they honor Canadian requests, Lucien? Lucien Parsons: I do not know the answer to that, unfortunately Avagene Moore: Rick Tobin, your question, please. rick tobin: Can you let us know of one of the communities that has used this so far and reported success? Which response group liked it the best? Lucien Parsons: we have had requests from all over the world. Timothy Gilmore: ? Lucien Parsons: We have had several hundred First responders test the product... Lucien Parsons: they range from Police to Fire to School Officials... Lucien Parsons: the Fire community is probably most familiar with the ICS system at this point, and they have been very enthusiastic about its possibilities... Lucien Parsons: But all groups have been positive. Avagene Moore: Gerald Isaacson, next, please. gerald isaacson: How much flexibility is there to change parameters of the scenarios? Lucien Parsons: We are shipping the product with editors to allow the users to change all of the parameters in the scenarios Lucien Parsons: number of responders... locations... Lucien Parsons: resources available... even modify the responder types that are available. Avagene Moore: Nancy Mills, please. Nancy Mills: This version is free. Is there a charge for upgrades? Also, are there biological and/or radiologic incident scenarios? Lucien Parsons: The version that DOJ will be sending out has already gone through one round of upgrades... Michael Wallmark: Are these preloaded generic maps or can local maps be loaded to make it more realistic? Lucien Parsons: response to the product will determine future upgrades. Avagene Moore: One question at a time, Michael. Go ahead and answer Michael's question, Lucien. Lucien Parsons: local county maps can be loaded and populated with your available resources. Michael Wallmark: Sorry I hit the wrong key Avagene Moore: Scott, your turn, sir. Nancy Mills: ? Paul John: ? Avagene Moore: Scott, are you ready with your question? Please input now. Scott at DMIS: A favorable comment . . . we have found Incident Commander to be a good "companion" when we are training EOC staff in the use of incident management software - DMIS Tools in our case. There was a terrific session where IC was running on one screen and ICP folks where working with it while EOC folks in the room were working DMIS Tools projected on a separate screen. The EOC folks reacted to IC play and used DMIS Tools functions for situation awareness dissemination and documenting EOC support actions. The combo worked great for training a total response team! Avagene Moore: Comment to Scott's comment, Lucien? Lucien Parsons: Thanks, Scott... Lucien Parsons: We intended IC to be used as part of a broader training curriculum and it's great to see people do so. Avagene Moore: Steve Reichman, your turn now. Steve Reichman: What are the criteria for an agency to qualify (short bullet list) - can you review that if not answered already. I am Emergency Management Coordinator for a Pennsylvania borough (8000+) residents, would My agency qualify? Ken Gilbert: ? Lucien Parsons: unfortunately, BreakAway has no control or input to the qualifications for distribution that the DOJ will use. However, again, we will be creating a commercial version. Avagene Moore: Cynthia, please. Cynthia Matherne: I am the Louisiana Region 1 (Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard, Plaquemines Parishes) Emergency Planner funded under the HRSA Bioterrorism Grant for Hospitals. Would this product be useful for hospital ICS training? Lucien Parsons: I encourage you to register in any case Avagene Moore: Cynthia, please. Lucien Parsons: It is designed from a first responder viewpoint, rather than first receiver... Lucien Parsons: we are also working with a hospital in Washington DC on the creation of a HEICS training tool Lori Wieber: ? Avagene Moore: Cliff, your question, please. Cliff Sweet: Scott already beat me on this one. This is an excellent tool to use in conjunction with the DMIS tool set or other incident management software. We have used it when training US Navy EOC staff at NS Norfolk and simulated one of the IC scenarios to create an incident in DMIS. The staff then followed the unfolding scenario in IC and utilized DMIS as the collaborative and interoperability vehicle. We accomplished two training objectives...Training the proficiency of DMIS and ICS together. Lucien Parsons: IC would be useful for the situation control aspects of a hospital situation, however. Lucien Parsons: Thanks Cliff Avagene Moore: Timothy Gilmore, next. Timothy Gilmore: 3 questions...How long can the process take to get the software and will it run on Windows Server 2003? And finally, are the scenarios in line with the 15 national planning scenarios? Lucien Parsons: The distribution plan is under the control of the DOJ. We hope that they will start shipping soon... speedy: I'm late getting into the discussion. What level of prior training does a participant need to work with IC? Would NIMS 300-400 be sufficient? How much prior experience would be needed? Lucien Parsons: Incident Commander runs on a peer-to-peer model and doesn't require a server... Lucien Parsons: Some of the scenarios are based on the National Planning Scenarios, while others are not. Timothy Gilmore: yes but will it run on Windows 2003 Server software? Lucien Parsons: I honestly don't know. It will run on 98, 2000, and XP, but we haven't tested on server Avagene Moore: Speedy is out of order (should input a ? and wait to be called upon) but take his question, Lucien. Timothy Gilmore: ok Since it runs on 2000, my guess is that it will. Thanks. Lucien Parsons: Incident Commander is designed to be used during all levels of training... Lucien Parsons: in solo mode, you can use it as a way to familiarize yourself with the roles and responsibilities of the various command positions... speedy: ? Lucien Parsons: and in a multi-user setting, you can practice implementing your local plans. Avagene Moore: Thank you, Lucien. And now, Nancy Mills, you have another question - please input. robert harris: ? Avagene Moore: Think we lost Nancy. Paul John, please Paul John: Can this be integrated with Computer-Aided Management of Emergency Operations (CAMEO)? Lucien Parsons: We haven't integrated it technically, but IC can be used as a visualization tool with any other type of exercise, even live exercises. Timothy Gilmore: ? Avagene Moore: Ken Gilbert, please. Ken Gilbert: Aloha, Will the scenario pack include natural events such as flash flooding, hurricane, tsunami, etc...or is it mainly scripted to man-made events? Leigh Wilsey: ? Lucien Parsons: The scenarios include: a severe storm aftermath, a chemical spill, a school hostage situation, and a bomb threat Avagene Moore: Lori, your question, please. Lucien Parsons: Additional scenarios can be created by the user Lori Wieber: Does the play incorporate any aspect of non-governmental 'critical infrastructure' responders, such as electric or gas companies (if not now are there plans for it at some point)? Lucien Parsons: Public Works are integrated... Lucien Parsons: we have electrical, gas and water problems. the ability to remove debris and unblock roads as critical elements in the scenarios. Avagene Moore: Speedy, please input your question. speedy: More a comment than question. As an ICS instructor I can tell you that students must have some level of ICS training to be efficient in any type of scenario and real-life play. Lori Wieber: ? Avagene Moore: Robert Harris, please. robert harris: What is DMIS? Avagene Moore: Disaster Management Interoperability Services. Amy Sebring: see http://www.dmi-services.org Avagene Moore: Timothy Gilmore, please. Timothy Gilmore: Can ArcView maps or shapefiles be used with the software or is it stand alone? Lucien Parsons: It uses ESRI maps for the county maps, but does not import shape files. Avagene Moore: Leigh Wilsey, please. If others have questions, input your ? now. Lucien Parsons: It can be used standalone without any change to the maps, however Leigh Wilsey: already asked and answered Timothy Gilmore: Can we insert our own maps? Avagene Moore: Thank you, Leigh. Lucien Parsons: yes. Avagene Moore: Lori, please. Amy Sebring: ? simon: sorry to jump in, late arrival! what compliance to fire fighting standards does the simulation have? 1561? rblenderma: ? Lori Wieber: I appreciate that public works are needed and incorporated, but in real life in this area there is a need for gas and electric folks to help ensure things are safe early on in the response. Lori Wieber: Do you forsee any building along that aspect? Lucien Parsons: We include the Public Works responders as well as specific hazards, so that you can practice any protocol in that area that is needed. Avagene Moore: Simon is out of order (should input ? and wait to be called upon) but for the sake of time, please answer his question before we go on, Lucien. Timothy Gilmore: ? Lucien Parsons: IC is designed for practicing the NIMS protocols, not specific fire fighting or other practices. simon: sorry .... simon: ? Avagene Moore: Amy, your turn, please. Amy Sebring: Are there any Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and or Multi Agency Coordination (MAC) system roles available to be involved in the game play? Is this something that can be edited in perhaps? Lucien Parsons: There are not specific positions in the simulation for those roles. However, we have seen it used as part of a larger simulation where those roles are. Avagene Moore: RBlenderma, please. Your turn. rblenderma: You mentioned you can build your own scenario, does that include public health emergency scenarios such as a pandemic flu or bioterrorism incident? Lucien Parsons: It is important to locate the EOC properly, however. Lucien Parsons: The simulation doesn't include specific responses or conditions along those lines... Lucien Parsons: but I can see how you would be able to create a scenario with similar characteristics. It would require some creativity, however. Avagene Moore: Timothy, your next question, sir. Amy Sebring: ? Timothy Gilmore: How do personnel within the software communicate (replicate radio comms, or email, etc.)? Lucien Parsons: We use a chat window in the simulation. Comms from the system regarding events or suggestions are routed according to protocol and are modified by activation of the Communications Section... Timothy Gilmore: ok Lucien Parsons: most sessions we have been involved in so far have either used their actual equipment (radios) or speakerphones for communication outside of the sim. Avagene Moore: Simon, your question, please. simon: does the system have any validation to any emergency management standards at all? and do you believe you need this validation to become part of any government simulation? Timothy Gilmore: ? Lucien Parsons: There is not a specific certification, but IC is designed to be NIMS compliant. Avagene Moore: Amy, please. Amy Sebring: I am not quite clear on using your own maps Lucien. You said you cannot import shape files. Will it use JPEGs that are captured from something like ArcGIS? simon: ? Lucien Parsons: There are two maps in each scenario. The Area map is draw directly from ESRI mapobjects. The Tactical map is created from a tileset that we created. Avagene Moore: Timothy, please. We have one more question or comment from Simon after Timothy. That is all we will have time for today. Timothy Gilmore: When a specific scenario is played out, is it more random then next time that scenario is played again? Lucien Parsons: you could use JPEGS for certain features Lucien Parsons: There are randomizing elements, yes... Timothy Gilmore: great Lucien Parsons: depending on the scenario, multiple events are possible and your actions may trigger different outcomes. Avagene Moore: Simon, final question, please. simon: Is it NIMS compliant/validated? I only ask because we require something to measure against... Lucien Parsons: Good Question. the DOJ has done extensive validation of the software, and is distributing it free of charge to qualified personnel as an exercise tool... Lucien Parsons: Playing IC will not teach all of the elements necessary for NIMS compliance, however. Lucien Parsons: It is designed to be integrated into your training curriculum. Avagene Moore: Glad we had so many questions today but we are out of time. Thank you, Lucien! We greatly appreciate your effort and time on our behalf. Josh, we appreciate you as well. .... Avagene Moore: That is it for today. Please stand by a moment while we make some quick announcements .... Avagene Moore: If you are not currently on our mailing list, and would like to get program announcements and notices of transcript availability, please see the Subscribe link on our home page. Avagene Moore: We have one new Partner to announce today - Montana University System, www.montana.edu . Lowell Goetting, Disaster Mitigation Coordinator, is the Point of Contact to the EIIP. Lowell is with us today. We welcome the Montana University System to the EIIP! Avagene Moore: If you are interested in becoming an EIIP Partner, please see the "Partnership for You" link on the EIIP Virtual Forum homepage http://www.emforum.org . Avagene Moore: If interested in receiving announcements of the EIIP Virtual Forum sessions, please note that subscribing for the EIIP Mail List is much easier now. See our homepage http://www.emforum.org and subscribe today. Avagene Moore: Again, the transcript of today's session will be posted later today and you will be able to access it from our home page. An announcement will also be sent to our Mail Lists when the transcript is available. Avagene Moore: Thanks to everyone for participating today. We appreciate you, the audience! Avagene Moore: Join us on September 27 when we will discuss DOT's Report to Congress on on Catastrophic Evacuation Plan Evaluation. Very interesting! Before you go, please help me show our appreciation to Lucien Parsons for a fine job. The EIIP Virtual Forum is adjourned! Thank you, Lucien! Great job!