ICS TOOLBOX LLC NIMS CITY ICS TRAINING SYSTEM

ICS Toolbox- NIMS CITY ICS Training System

Table Top Exercise Format, Procedures &Guidelines

The concept for using the NIMS City™ ICS training system is based on national level studies on how military commanders and civilian para-military commanders (emergency services) make decisions during combat, incidents and events and the type of field incident action planning that is done before a mission or action is initiated.

The NIMS City ICS training system (NC-ICS-TS) employs the same concepts of, Tactical Decision Gaming Simulation (TDGS ) along with the sand box style military and national wildland fire training aid.

The concept of the training model of TDGS and sand box modeling forces the incident management team and or commander to make decisions based on limited information coupled with previous experience to come to the best practice decision and allows for feedback on those actions for rapid integration into the process of modifying actions taken. That learned experience is called Prime Recognition Decision Making (PRDM) along with the experience of others and formal training models can be introduced in the learning environment. Those visual and auditory clues and actions are imprinted in the brain of the student so that those actions and clues are available for recall during real events.

The NC- ICS-TS provides appropriate training aids to assist the facilitator, instructor and or teaching coach with setting up and reinforcing both TDGS and PRDM learning experiences that can be reproduced for team training. The fundamental instructional strategies for adult learning are incorporated into the NC-ICS-TS, those strategies of allowing adult learners to control the educational process by self-actions, seeing outcomes and reflective time for self-review without penalties allows for greater recall and positive actions based on the instructional directions and scenario inputs.

The key to using the NC-ICS-TS is providing a positive learning environment with reality-based scenarios that the student can mentally accept and then link to new challenges and complex incident management decision-making. The instructor team should prepare acceptable scenarios based on the local agency plans and procedures as the entry to the complex problem solving process. This will allow the participants a positive learning experience even though they maybe stressed and frustrated by the role-playing during the process. Adult learners do not mind being challenged however they object to being embarrassed and that is an important learning issue that needs to be controlled by the facilitation/instructional team.

Example: Initial role-playing for an integrated Police and fire incident.

NOTE: ONLY Use dry erase marker pen or wet wipe pens on plastic material and tabletops.

• Selection of unit assignments- police units, supervisors, engine, ladders, rescue squads, EMS units, Chiefs, support services – students pick up initial model vehicles for board placement as dispatched.

Agency supplied- vests, radios and command boards assigned numbered vehicles

• Other assignments and vehicles will pick up radio’s, vehicles and command staff vest as needed

• First arriving unit duties: Perform the following before moving to command post table (two people)

Facilitator provides initial (limited) scenario information to first arriving unit.

-Size –up

-Conditions- risk assessment (low, moderate high risk event)

-Action taken- offensive or defensive strategy

-Declaration of operational mode- Investigation- Intervention ( fire attack- medical care etc) - Command

-Control area (isolate and deny entry as needed

-Safety concerns for all to know about- weapons seen, shots fired, WMD / Haz MAT- MCI etc.

-Assumption of command- name your location

-Request or release resources

-Staging area for incoming resources

Place Command post placard on table with Staging area placard in position relative to the incident

Place A-B-C-D building signs on structure- allows for other students to find and position units for

tactical assignments as directed by first in unit or IC

Now first unit can move to command table – (one person)

First Unit on scene- Radio communications report to Dispatch: Radio messages:

-First unit report

-All CLEAR- (primary search completed- victims removed) Scene secured

-Event controlled- protection measures called for

-Command terminated

-Unit or person in charge of property

Other units arrive as dispatched or allowed in by gatekeeper- (drill leader) and report to Staging area- announce enroute- staffing levels and arrival.

Command Support – Incident Support Team (IST):

Coordinating and developing UNIFIED Command Post: should be or considered for mixed services or agencies or multiple jurisdictions having legal or service operational authority.

-Staff= resource board, tactical command board- extra radio’s as channel assignment are made

-Command can be transferred about request to higher ranking officer – FACE to FACE

-Radio traffic – command to dispatch / operations to command/ branches to division/ groups- division/groups to crews

-Incident Action Plan worksheet development

-Command organization chart developed

-Other needs as scenario presents

-Benchmarks: RIC- rapid intervention crews/ SWAT-Safety- PIO

Exercise review by First Unit on Scene- then round robin to other participants.

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