Optimizing performance outcomes for emergency management personnel through simulation based training applications

Abstract

There has been much in the news about response to natural disasters and catastrophic events such as Hurricane Katrina and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Many challenges face the first responder community that are in many ways new and previously not encountered by a community of hard working and dedicated people. The issues range from demographics in our society, changes in weather patterns, multiple generations in the workforce and many new methods of technology being explored for modernizing the training. A review of the challenges and potential solutions as implemented by two agencies offers some answers to the question, “Why is this so hard?”