Constructive Simulation for Public Safety - How it Works

In my last blog I talked about what is wrong with training for Emergency Responders, EOCs and Public Safety officials.  The basic problems are too much scripting in the training (not enough flexibility), too costly to provide good training, and not enough feedback on decisions.  This is where a constructive simulation comes in.

What is a constructive simulation?  It is basically an "arena" where free play can take place, participants can make items in the simulation (entities) do things and respond to things, and people make decisions which are implemented within the simulation. Basically Constructive Simulation is a cause-effect tool that provides feedback to participants. Unlike 3D (virtual) simulations, constructive simulations typically show a map and a participant operating the computer can control many (10s, 100s, 1000s of entities) to accomplish their task.

Simulation is not a game. For instance, a game may or may not have realistic responses for player actions.  No simulation is perfect, but if the actions and reactions are "way off" then bad lessons result.  In other words, participants will take the bad lessons (that won't really work) and try to apply these in real life - disaster results. Obviously then, for a simulation to be effective it has to be somewhat realistic in order to teach good lessons.

The other difference between a game and a simulation is the post-exercise review. Games usually don't allow you to go back and review what went right and what went wrong. This is an essential point to learning, since you seldom have time to learn during the actual simulation. A good simulation will allow you and your team to review what happened, discuss a better way forward and to replay the simulation again in order to cement these lessons. There are many other differences, but sometimes, with the correct supervision and the right focus, a game can be used as a learning tool - these are what people sometimes call "Serious Games".

So how do you actually "run" a simulation?  There are many different ways. Some purists would say that the only way is from within a heavily controlled environment where every activity is planned and scripted, but I personally think that this removes some of the "fun " element to training (which is very important) and also limits potential training opportunities.

The opposite is wrong, too, where everyone gets together to train and no-one has any objectives and there is no aim to the training - this is game playing and is a waste of time. Probably a happy medium is best, where there are learning objectives and someone is in charge of ensuring the training is meeting the learning objectives. Constructive simulation doesn't always have to always be a group training tool - there is also room for using it as an individual training tool. The software has to be the right type in order to allow effective training, but this type of training scenario is ideal for training people up on how to use electronic Command and Control software such as eTeam, WebEOC and SoftRisk.  In these cases the simulation is appended to the C2 system to provide input "as if" it was coming from the field.

What about the physical layout?  Some simulations can be run on a single computer and others require a server, an Internet connection or a bank of computers. Often the simplest solution that meets your needs is the best. Typically a constructive simulation exercise has a few "cells" that are in charge of different things, and these are increased, decreased or eliminated depending on the size, scope and aim of the exercise:

• Exercise Control - ensures that the exercise is "on track" and meets the training objectives, timings and aims. They are in charge of the overall event.
• Participants (players) - these are the people undergoing training, and their setup, communications equipment, tools, techniques and procedures should be as close as possible to what they would use in real life.  
• Simulation Cell - this is the group that provides the simulation training to the participants or players.  This cell contains computers, role players and communications equipment to communicate directly with the participants. Often the simulation cell can be subdivided into additional cells for larger simulation, but this can be discussed in greater detail later on.
• Observers and Mentors - this group is typically composed of subject matter experts or similarly trained people and they shadow the participants and takes notes of what is going right or wrong for the Post Exercise Review.

The actual exercise has several components as well:

• Welcome brief - participants are given introductions to the facility and other participants, administrative instructions and timings for the exercise.
• Exercise Brief - participants are given an overview of the exercise aims and objectives (what the participants should get out of the exercise)
• Exercise Scenario Briefing - as required, participants are given an introduction to the scenario so that the exercise can start smoothly. The scenario may also be published to the participants ahead of time via email or regular mail.
• Exercise Start - The Exercise Control Cell globally announces the start of the exercise. Simultaneously (usually) the simulation software is started at this point.
• Exercise Conduct -The Simulation Cell personnel communicate with the participants as frequently as necessary and with the level of detail required to provide a realistic training environment. Much more on this in a later blog.
• End Exercise - The Exercise Control Cell globally announces the end of the exercise and the simulation software stops at this point. There is frequently a pause for up to an hour before the Post Exercise Review brief.
• Post Exercise Review - this brief is conducted interactively with the participants. Again, much more on this later on, as it is a vital component of simulation training.

As always, the various components are expanded, reduced or deleted depending on the aim of the exercise.   In a future blog, I will detail more about the exercise conduct and post exercise review portions.

Keep training!

Bruce