{
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    "title" : "The Cutting EDGE: New Virtual Training Prepares First Responders for Active Shooter Incidents |Digital.gov",
    "description": "The Cutting EDGE: New Virtual Training Prepares First Responders for Active Shooter Incidents",
    "home_page_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/","feed_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/08/03/cutting-edge-new-virtual-training-prepares-first-responders-for-active-shooter-incidents/index.json","item" : [
    {"title" :"The Cutting EDGE\u0026#58; New Virtual Training Prepares First Responders for Active Shooter Incidents","summary" : "Amidst the chaos of an active shooter event, preparedness is key to a seamless, swift and effective response—and a new video game funded by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate and the U.S. Army Research Laboratory just might do the trick.","date" : "2017-08-03T12:14:24-04:00","date_modified" : "2025-01-27T19:42:55-05:00","authors" : {"department-of-homeland-security" : "U.S. Department of Homeland Security"},"topics" : {
        
            "content-strategy" : "Content strategy",
            "emerging-tech" : "Emerging tech",
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      "filename" :"2017-08-03-cutting-edge-new-virtual-training-prepares-first-responders-for-active-shooter-incidents.md",
      
      "filepath" :"news/2017/08/2017-08-03-cutting-edge-new-virtual-training-prepares-first-responders-for-active-shooter-incidents.md",
      "filepathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/blob/bc-archive-content-3/content/news/2017/08/2017-08-03-cutting-edge-new-virtual-training-prepares-first-responders-for-active-shooter-incidents.md",
      "editpathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/edit/bc-archive-content-3/content/news/2017/08/2017-08-03-cutting-edge-new-virtual-training-prepares-first-responders-for-active-shooter-incidents.md","slug" : "cutting-edge-new-virtual-training-prepares-first-responders-for-active-shooter-incidents","url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/08/03/cutting-edge-new-virtual-training-prepares-first-responders-for-active-shooter-incidents/","content" :"\u003cp\u003eAmidst the chaos of an active shooter event, preparedness is key to a seamless, swift and effective response—and a new video game funded by the \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhs.gov/\"\u003eDepartment of Homeland Security\u003c/a\u003e (DHS) \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhs.gov/science-and-technology\"\u003eScience and Technology\u003c/a\u003e (S\u0026amp;T) Directorate and the \u003ca href=\"http://www.arl.army.mil/\"\u003eU.S. Army Research Laboratory\u003c/a\u003e just might do the trick.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-387805\" src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/_legacy-img/2017/08/600-x-400-DHS-EDGE-FRS-01.jpg\" alt=\"Screenshot from the game of a firefighter putting out flames in a hotel.\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" /\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.dhs.gov/publication/virtual-training\"\u003eEnhanced Dynamic Geo-Social Environment, or EDGE\u003c/a\u003e, is a virtual training platform, available now to all response agencies nationwide. Built on the Unreal Engine, it allows responders of all disciplines to assume discipline-based avatars and simultaneously role-play complex response scenarios. The first scenario, an incident at a local hotel, brings law enforcement, fire, emergency medical services, dispatch, and unified command together to combat an active shooter also armed with fiery Molotov cocktails.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“We developed the \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhs.gov/science-and-technology/virtual-training-100-seconds-video\"\u003eEDGE virtual environment\u003c/a\u003e to be completely true-to-life,” explained Milt Nenneman, Program Manager in S\u0026amp;T’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhs.gov/science-and-technology/first-responders-group\"\u003eFirst Responders Group\u003c/a\u003e. “Everything from the hotel lobby to the elevators to the boiler rooms to the bedspreads in the guest quarters, was built completely to scale.” The scenario is based on a real hotel in Sacramento, where the \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhs.gov/st-snapshot-training-first-responders-active-shooter-response\"\u003eprogram was piloted\u003c/a\u003e with local response agencies.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.dhs.gov/science-and-technology/enhanced-dynamic-geo-social-environment-edge\"\u003eEDGE\u003c/a\u003e also features authentic response vehicles, tools, and personal protective equipment. The training is not pre-scripted; most EDGE avatars—including the actual shooter—are controlled by the responders themselves using agency-standard operating procedures to guide all training outcomes. Responders navigate their avatars as they would act in a real emergency, responding to threats according to their department’s policies.”\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe beauty of EDGE is it was designed to allow a single agency to train its staff, or multiple agencies can train together across disciplines and jurisdictions for a more synchronized response. And, unlike real-world training exercises, EDGE doesn’t cost money for agencies to travel to a single location—they can conduct the training from their own home stations. The goal: improve coordination and communication \u003cem\u003ebefore an active shooter or other catastrophic event happens\u003c/em\u003e in order to mitigate injuries and loss of lives during a live response.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll actions are determined by first responders’ own decisions in the environment, which means the game can play out differently depending on the specific training exercise and first responders’ actions. Because of the open sandbox, a department’s instructors can create any event or scenario to reinforce their training curriculum.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“These days, it is essential that responders have every tool at their disposal to prepare for and respond to critical incidents,” Nenneman added. “Those first at the scene must make decisions in a flash, and in those initial moments every bit of training helps to save civilian and responder lives.”\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-387806\" src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/_legacy-img/2017/08/600-x-400-DHS-EMS_Carry.jpg\" alt=\"Screenshot from the game of an EMS tech carrying another avatar.\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" /\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eS\u0026amp;T and the Army plan to release a second EDGE active shooter training scenario using a school as the backdrop later this year. Like the hotel scenario, the school shooting environment will be available for free to all first responder agencies and personnel charged with school (and student) protection.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“These types of incidents are now an unfortunate reality, and when schools come under fire \u003cem\u003eeverybody \u003c/em\u003ebecomes a first responder,” Nenneman said. “This EDGE scenario was created to train staff on the critical steps to take, whether corralling students for a quick exit to a safe location or barricading classrooms before responders arrive on the scene.”\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe EDGE school environment will be released in fall 2017.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAgencies interested in obtaining a free copy of the EDGE hotel scenario or who have general EDGE inquiries may do so by emailing \u003ca href=\"mailto:first.responder@hq.dhs.gov\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"mailto:first.responder@hq.dhs.gov\"\u003efirst.responder@hq.dhs.gov\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"hdivider\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eThis post was originally published on the \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhs.gov/blog/2017/07/26/st-uses-internet-things-improve-flood-alert-technology\"\u003eDepartment of Homeland Security (DHS) blog\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/em\u003e\n"}
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