Major emergencies such as plane and train crashes, critical incidents such as New Dimension are typically complex, initially chaotic and often challenging to manage. These incidents require a team-based approach in which the activities and efforts of those officers involved are effectively co-ordinated and properly directed. Good communication, effective use of resources and information, and a clear command policy are essential if the many problems arising from such incidents are to be identified, prioritized and resolved.
Training officers to develop these command skills requires a learning environment where the complexity, chaos and challenge of a real incident are recreated. This is where simulation is so effective as a training tool. Both the Minerva and Hydra simulation systems have been designed and built from the ground up to recreate live critical incidents, thereby allowing command officers to try out their skills, to solve command problems and to confront and overcome the many challenges of such events.
The aim of the Minerva and Hydra simulation systems is to bring command training to life and to provide our officers with experiences of incident command within a training setting that are readily transferable to the real-world of a live incident. Feedback from our students suggests that the high levels of realism and immersion they experience on the Minerva system provides them with a true sense of 'being there for real'.
Minerva is a training simulator designed to provide incident commanders and their command teams with training that is as close to a real incident or emergency as possible. Realism within a training setting ensures that the experiences gained within the Minerva simulator can be readily and easily transferred to live incidents and events.
The Minerva system provides students with a chance to experience the management of large-scale critical incident command within a safe but challenging training setting where good practice can be identified and shared but where mistakes have no operational consequences.
Characteristics of the Minerva simulation system include:
- Runs in real time
- Replicates the complexity and chaos of critical incidents
- Multi-media rich
- Team-based allowing a real command team to work together
- Support for both fast-time and slow-time decision making
- Support for both tactical and strategic levels of command
- Provision for complex information and action flow
- Full decision tracking and audit.
To be realistic and immersive, simulations must be designed so that they mirror the reality of command. This means that the simulated event is one that the student might reasonably expect to be confronted with in the course of their normal work and is in line with their roles and responsibilities.
Problems designed into the simulation are a key component that students work to resolve. To create immersion and to ensure credibility, such problems need to be achievable and manageable given a students current level of command skills and expertise. If a student is managing a simulated situation well, that situation should be well managed and the student should see himself or herself as in command. Conversely, if the student fails to take control and to resolve the unfolding situation, problems are compounded and the situation worsens.
Command simulations are training events and as such they must be based on sound educational practices. Any simulation exercise should therefore reflect the stated aim and objectives of the training design on which it is based.
Command simulation creates a rich learning environment that places the student at the very centre of the action. The design and development of scenarios into full simulations should follow careful consideration of exactly what learning students need in this area and how best to deliver it on the Minerva or Hydra systems.
Minerva and Hydra are fully flexible simulation systems that can accommodate a huge variety of tactical and strategic command training. Exercises delivered on either system are designed, developed and built by simulation staff at each site in response to the training needs of their organization.
Critical incidents such as train de-railments, plane crashes, collapsed buildings, chemical spillages, explosions, etc, are complex, initially chaotic and challenging to command and manage. Simulation of such critical incidents must re-create this complexity, chaos and challenge by providing the students with an information rich environment that looks, sounds and feels like the real thing. Through the use of video, audio, photos, operational radio traffic, telephone, maps, intelligence, documentation, background noise, choice of problems and the sequencing and timing of simulation, we are able to recreate such incidents in a very vivid and realistic way.
Hydra
Hydra is a training simulator designed to provide incident command officers and senior-investigating officers with training that is as close to the real thing as possible. Realism within a training setting ensures that experiences gained within the learning environment can be readily and easily transferred to the real world.
The Hydra system provides students with a chance to experience the management of large-scale criminal investigations and major critical incident command within a safe but challenging training setting where good practice can be identified and shared but where mistakes have no operational consequences.
- Characteristics of the Hydra simulation system include:
- Multi-media rich
- Simulation of a real-world critical incident or major crime
- Support for both fast-time and slow-time decision making
- Support for both tactical and strategic levels of command
- Provision for complex information and action flow
- Simulated resource management
- Full decision tracking and audit.
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