Major emergencies such as plane and train crashes are critical incidents which 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-coordinated 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.
The training of 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 programs that are currently in use, the XVR and ISEE simulation systems, have been designed and built from the ground up to create live critical incidents, thereby allowing command officers to practice their skills, to solve command problems and to confront and overcome the many challenges of such events.