COMMANDSIM NEWS

April 9, 2008. CommandSim Fire School Edition brings the power and flexibility of CommandSim Fire Department Edition to your school or organization without requiring your IT department to manage additional software!

We host the software on our servers, and you hook in via any regular internet browser. More information will be forthcoming. Email us to arrange a free trial and/or demonstration.

April 1, 2008.

Seventh free simulation scenario developed for Fire Engineering. This simulation features a backdraft if the responders do not ventilate the roof before knocking out the windows and doors.

CLICK HERE to check out the simulation!

CREDITS

Scenario Design: Frank Montagna, Battalion Chief, FDNY

March 1, 2008.

Sixth free simulation scenario developed for Fire Engineering. This simulation is about events surrounding a car accident into a rail car, with an hazardous materials spill. It also lets you practice using a basic thermal imaging camera, multigas meter, and binoculars.

CLICK HERE to check out the simulation!

CREDITS

Scenario Design Lead: Joshua McGuoirk, Philadelphia Fire Department

Oct 10, 2007.

Fire Engineering, the Fire Services' leading publisher and conference organizer of FDIC, continues to pioneer the use of simulations for training.

Today, they launched a free, garage fire scenario that instructors can use to help their departments practice responding to these types of incidents. The scenario comes with detailed instructions and size-up considerations, as well as sheets describing how an instructor can evolve the scenario to simulate response to command decisions. There also is a discussion about how to use the scenario.

The scenario was designed by Frank Montagna (Battalion Chief, FDNY), and built as a joint venture of CommandSim and Incident Tactics, using CommandSim Fire Instructor Edition, and Adobe Flash.

CLICK HERE to check out the simulation!

CREDITS

Special Thanks to John Mitchell, Manny Ovena, and the development team at Incident Tactics.

Scenario Design: Frank Montagna, Battalion Chief, FDNY

April 11, 2007.

Fire Engineering, the Fire Services' leading publisher and conference organizer of FDIC, launched a new training section for their web site today, Fire Engineering Simulations. The first simulation--a three-story walk-up fire scenario that teaches the importance of conducting a site survey--was produced by CommandSim with its unique CommandSim Fire Instructor Edition, and Adobe Flash.

The scenario also puts viewers in the "driver's seat" by giving them the chance to operate the pump panel in real time.

CLICK HERE to check out the simulation!

TESTIMONIALS

The experts' opinions are in, and the simulation is a hit! Here is a sample of reactions:

"Very good graphics...had a 'real' feel in looking at the scenario and related shots." --Gregory G. Noll

"It provides a realistic challenge to both the Battalion Chief and the pump operator. The simulation was more than adequate & it accurately addressed good decision making & potential screw-ups." --Pat Grace

"...This is going to change the way we train. This is by far the best webcast simulation I have ever seen." --Steve Kraft

"That thing is AWESOME! The pump operations piece was a nice touch! I haven't seen anything that slick anywhere else." --Eddie Buchanan

"Great interaction, and some very powerful lessons to be learned." --Tim Sendelbach

"You guys are right on target here, I like what I see." --Mike Graves

CREDITS

Special Thanks to Bud Plumer and Plumer Real Estate for allowing us to photograph their building. No dwellings or offices were harmed in the production of this scenario!

Scenario Design: (Chief) Frank Montagna, FDNY
Pump Panel Design: (Lt) Tony Rubino (Ret.), FDNY

Technical Production: Jonathan Kaye
Graphic Design: Eric Zempol
Engine 22: William Vessal
Engine 46: Ivan Shomer
911 Operator: Louis Kessler
Phone Caller: Albert Gabbai
Dispatcher/Ladder 13: Jonathan Kaye
Battalion 3: Howard Shatz
Civilian: Yaron Ben-Naeh

May, 2007. From Technologies for the Fire & Rescue Service:

Starting next week, the Command Training Center, which is housed at the Utah Fire and Rescue Academy in Provo, will use the software to train fire fighters, law-enforcement commanders and emergency medical crews using virtual world experiences.

While the training center has about a dozen virtual scenarios, Goudy said designing new templates is simple.... “We can put together anything we can envision,” he said.

CLICK HERE to read more about how CommandSim Fire Department Edition is producing results for the Utah Fire & Rescue Academy in Provo, UT.

March 29, 2007.

At the Industrial FireWorld 2007 conference, 50 attendees of the Marine Firefighting track participated in a simulation drill of a shipboard galley fire, conducted by representatives of the US Coast Guard and the Port of Houston Fire Department. The drill used CommandSim Fire Department Edition.

You can see and download the graphics to use as your own drill, by clicking here. To maximize utility, you can use CommandSim to build once and deploy as standalone or in multiplayer format.

February 1, 2007.

CommandSim Clinics are free, one-hour seminars for customers and potential customers to see how to use the system. CLICK HERE for the current schedule and to register.

January 29, 2007.

CommandSim can help you determine which programs may qualify for the acquisition of our systems and services, and can help you with the grant-writing process, as needed. Email us and a representative will contact you to discuss your goals.

Municipal Organizations
Application period ends April 5, 2007

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released today fiscal year 2007 grant guidance (PDF, 10 pages - 102 KB) and application kits for five grant programs that will total roughly $1.7 billion in funding for state and local counterterrorism efforts. With the fiscal year 2007 funding, the department will have invested nearly $20 billion in local planning, organization, equipment, training, and exercises.

The five programs that comprise the Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP) encourage a regional approach to strengthening homeland security. Grant funding priorities include reducing risks of improvised explosive devices and radiological, chemical and biological weapons. They emphasize interoperable communications, information sharing and citizen preparedness. HSGP fiscal year 2007 funding totals are:

• State Homeland Security Program (SHSP)- $509.3 million
• Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Program (LETPP)- $363.8 million
• Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI)- $746.9 million
• Metropolitan Medical Response System (MMRS)- $32.0 million
• Citizen Corps Program (CCP)- $14.6 million

Industrial Organizations
Application Period Ends March 6, 2007

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released today fiscal year 2007 grant guidance and application kits for five grant programs that will total roughly $445 million in funding for state, local and private industry infrastructure protection initiatives. These five programs comprise the Infrastructure Protection Program (IPP), which to date have provided more than $1.5 billion in grants to strengthen security at critical facilities ranging from chemical plants to mass transit systems and seaports.

“We’re investing resources where risk is greatest and where the funds will have the most significant impact,” said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. “This year’s grants reflect a rigorous, disciplined approach that places risk first, driven by hard analysis from the intelligence community and supported by common sense.”

IPP fiscal year 2007 funding totals have increased by $46 million over last year. Specific totals include:

• Port Security Grant Program: $201.2 million
• Transit Security Grant Program: $171.8 million
• Buffer Zone Protection Program: $48.5 million
• Intercity Bus Security Grant Program: $11.6 million
• Trucking Security Grant Program: $11.6 million

January 1 , 2007.

CommandSim is proud to present CommandSim Fire Instructor version 1.5. Other vendors claim their products are the best, but those claims fall far short of what we deliver in version 1.5. CSFI v1.5 includes:

• A new, state-of-the-art smoke and fire generator that one can adjust with VOLUME, VELOCITY, DENSITY, and COLOR, or any of over 40 parameters (wind, dispersion, turbulence, gravity, fade-in/fade-out, custom graphics, and many more)
• A new effect transitioning tool that makes transitioning among effects simple, with no programming necessary. Create scenarios from start to finish, with smoke and fire progression tied to time or keystrokes
• Panorama and 360-degree scenario-building tools to help your students develop situational awareness
• Fire videos (clips) to capture special types of fire behavior and explosions.

As always, there is no viewer software to buy--everything you create using CSFI v1.5 can be distributed on the Web or in PowerPoint (with full interactivity) for free! It just requires the free Flash Player plug-in, version 7 or higher.

Best of all, to launch our new product, we are offering it at the unbelievably low price of $495 (Flash not included)--take advantage of us before we regain our sanity!

December 1, 2005. CommandSim announces the availability of its CommandSim Rad Meter V-700.

The CommandSim Radiation Meter V-700 is a simulation of the Civil Defense V-700 low-range survey meter. The simulation lets your team practice with maximum realism and safety! No hassle of managing real radioactive substances or contrived examples.

Create a scenario from your photos and overlay radiation emitters, set the quantities, and add any shielding, then publish the result for distribution in PowerPoint or on the Web. Prepare your team to use this type of meter so they are comfortable with its use once they get into the field.

Try it out by clicking here!

November 17, 2005. CommandSim announces the availability of the CommandSim Fire: Instructor (CSFI) Edition.

CommandSim Fire: Instructor Edition sets a new standard for creating realistic, computer-based training simulations that can be easily distributed and viewed in Microsoft PowerPoint® and on the Web or intranet. Unlike other simulation programs that only give a small variety of smoke and fire video-like clips, CSFI lets you pick from a library of smoke and fire and then customize those effects with wind, color, size, velocity, and more than 20 other parameters, to achieve virtually limitless possibilities.

The introductory price is $895 (Macromedia Flash is required but sold separately).

CLICK HERE to visit the download site for the CSFI trial version.

September 12, 2005. CommandSim announces a new price entry point for its flagship product, CommandSim Fire: Department Edition, to enable small to medium-size fire departments and other emergency response organizations to benefit from high-fidelity simulation. The new price entry point is accompanied by a series of optional services that permit a greater amount of flexibility for departments just getting into computer-based simulation.

To see the pricing and services, please CLICK HERE.

June, 2005. Read all about how Orange County is using CommandSim and the Smart Technologies' SmartBoard to achieve realistic results for their command training program.

http://www.smarttech.com

April, 2005. CommandSim and the Philadelphia Fire Department's HazMat Administration Unit have been awarded a Phase I SBIR from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to apply the CommandSim system to HazMat incident command training.

February, 2005. The Orange County Fire Department (Orlando, Florida) is seeing real results in command performance, according to this piece produced by Orange TV (local government cable channel). Look under the FLAMES Show #2 section, INCIDENT COMMAND SIMULATOR link.