Delivery of practical training in command, control and coordination on a face-to-face basis is often difficult because of the time and expense involved in bringing together resources. Online and computer simulation are useful tools for supporting incident management training. Another important advantage of simulation training is that it allows Incident Controllers to make errors in a safe environment without placing people or property at risk.
The suite of Australasian scenarios continues to increase every year, offering users a greater variety of operational contexts and levels of complexity for targeting training to a range of audiences, from junior officers operating at a small structure fire, through to senior level Incident Management Teams for large, complex, multi-agency events.
The technology required to service the broad range of training audiences and exercise formats has continued to evolve. Simulations are now run from laptop computers for greater portability, and wireless connections have made training via the internet at remote stations a reality.
Team Trainer capability, allowing multiple participants to interact in a single scenario from separate computers, is now standard issue, and new software in the Emergency Command System™ developed specifically for strategic level scenarios was applied to build the Road Tunnel scenarios in 2007.
VectorCommand in Australasia
VectorCommand Limited is a UK based company which specialises in the design and development of simulation technologies used in incident management training. The original tactical fire simulator was developed in partnership with two UK fire services and version one was released in the UK in 1997. It contained a suite of basic fire simulations suitable for individual or group training.
In recognition of the need to provide effective training opportunities for operational personnel to exercise their skills in these areas, a number of fire services within Australia and New Zealand joined with the United Firefighters Union of Australia (UFUA) to participate in a trial evaluation of the VectorCommand system conducted by a research team from the University of Sydney and the University of Queensland.
Following the successful review of the system the participating agencies entered into a bulk purchase agreement with AFAC and the Australasian version was released in 2000. AFAC established a Strategic Management Reference Group (SMRG) comprising executive level representatives from each participating agency to oversee the implementation of the system, and a User Reference Group (URG) comprising agency incident management trainers responsible for the day to day use and management of the simulators. These groups continue to meet twice per annum.
Participating fire agencies
- ACT Emergency Services Agency
- Airservices Australia
- Country Fire Authority, Victoria
- Fire and Emergency Services Authority of Western Australia
- Metropolitan Fire and Emergency Services Board, Melbourne
- New South Wales Fire Brigades
- New Zealand Fire Service
- Queensland Fire and Rescue Service
- South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service.
To find out more, or arrange a demonstration of the VectorCommand system, contact Sandra Lunardi, Manager Learning and Development
