Skill Transfer and Virtual Training for IND Response Decision-Making: Project Summary and Next Steps

Abstract : MIT Lincoln Laboratory (MIT LL) has been engaged in a project sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate (DHS S and T) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that examines alternative mechanisms for training and evaluation of emergency managers (EMs) to augment and complement existing techniques. The effort seeks to answer the question of how government agencies can ensure that key emergency response personnel have the required skills and knowledge to make critical decisions during an incident of unprecedented size, scope, and complexity, such as an improvised nuclear device (IND) detonation. The effort has examined game-based training methods to determine their suitability for addressing the identified gaps and to improve the tools, techniques, and guidance for creating game-based training materials. This report summarizes the key steps and findings of the project.