How to build realistic command simulations

Some of the hardest fires you’ll ever command are ones you can’t safely recreate for real. A well-built simulation is the closest most firefighters will get. Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Department Captain Mark Killion explains how to build command simulations that hold up: Stagger unit arrivals using real response data, tie fire behavior to the clock, script the radio traffic with multiple voices, and build every scenario around structures in your first-due. Get it wrong and you risk creating a “training scar.” Get the culture right — no “gotcha” — and officers can actually learn from it. Killion and Zam offer practical steps for taking your sims beyond the size-up.

• Read next: Incident command simulations: Inside one department’s process (firerescue1.com/firefighter-training/incident-…)

• Command resources: Get more command-focused training at FireRescue1’s Fire Command Ready series (firerescue1.com/fire-command-ready)

This episode of the Better Every Shift Podcast is sponsored by Verizon Frontline (verizon.com/business/solutions/public-sector/p…), the advanced network and technology for first responders. Learn more about incident command in FireRescue1’s Fire Command Ready series.

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