Computer-based training.

The National Institute of Justice offers Incident Commander: A Training Simulation for Public Safety Personnel, a CD-ROM that provides simulation training for public safety incident commanders in developing action plans and implementing them in various crisis scenarios through resource allocation and the assignment of tasks. The training can be done alone or with up to 16 players. Each participant can choose to manage squads from one or more agencies; take control of one or more incident command sections; or be an observer. After a tutorial on how to manage an emergency-response scenario through the provided software and computer tools, crisis situations are addressed from the perspective of the Incident Commander System. The scenarios portrayed include a school hostage situation, a courthouse bomb threat, a chemical spill, and a severe storm. Each situation offers different challenges to the players. Some scenarios emphasize law enforcement. In others, firefighting is the greatest challenge. Some may confront players with downed power lines, water-main breaks, noxious chemicals, and the media. Recognizing the greatest threats and dealing with them by effective use of the Incident Command System and appropriate deployment of responders are the keys to success and a high score in the training. Crisis scenarios are managed through detailed maps displayed on the computer screen. These maps include icons that can be selected and moved to perform certain tasks at various locations. Copies of the program can be obtained by contacting the National Criminal Justice Reference Service at 800-851-3420 or http://www.ncjrs.gov. Also, authorized public safety agencies can register to receive the software free of charge at http://www.incidentcommander.net/.