Emergency Operations Training Center

Hone your incident and emergency management skills in a realistic, computer-simulation environment like no other.

Located between the Brayton Fire Training Field and Disaster City®, the 32,000-square-foot Emergency Operations Training Center (EOTC) provides realistic, scenario-based incident management training in an environment like no other.

The center uses state-of-the-art simulation and computer-based technologies to train incident managers, supervisors, executives, public officials and military personnel to manage a large-scale crisis using a unified command approach.

The Emergency Operations Training Center (EOTC), located in College Station, Texas, is a state-of-the-art emergency management and incident command training facility operated by the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX). Since 2003, the EOTC has provided some of the best large-scale incident management training available anywhere. Combining quality training methodologies, adult learning processes, emergency management experience, and computer-supported simulation, the EOTC offers one of the most realistic, scenario-driven incident management environments in the country.

The EOTC's goal is to provide participants (including government agencies, corporate industrial teams, and jurisdictions from across the nation) the skills they need to respond to, manage, and recover from large-scale incidents. The EOTC provides a wide spectrum of possible operations, ranging from the incident command post perspective to the emergency operations center and multi-agency coordination viewpoint at the local, regional or state levels. This process-focused training environment allows participants the opportunity to hone their incident management and decision-making skills through a computer simulation system that provides a realistic scenario customized to the participants' level of training. The overall incident management structure used in the EOTC replicates the Incident Command System and follows the National Incident Management System (NIMS) as required in the National Response Framework (NRF). The facility adapts existing incident management systems and procedures to the unique requirements of responding to large-scale incidents at all levels.

Methodology

The EOTC provides a total immersion in the incident-management training environment and allows supervisory-level responders a practical, simulated experience in the management of a large-scale incident. To accomplish the requested training objectives, instructors use a multidisciplinary, jurisdictional-based, team-building approach to deliver instructional material and exercises. The layout and design of the EOTC facilitate exercise delivery and after-action feedback. The training analysis team develops the after-action review during the exercise, which allows for instant, quality feedback and successful training operations. The quality and experience of the instructional staff is unparalleled. All instructors are subject matter experts in their respective fields who have participated in or managed a large-scale event and understand what constitutes a proper training environment.

Topics covered

• Decision making
• Situational Awareness
• Information Management
• Large-Scale Incident Command Processes and Principles
• Emergency Management Processes and Principles
• Overview of Incident Command System
• Principles of Unified Command
• Organization and Staffing for Unified Command
• Resource Management and Incident Management Strategies
• Incident Action and Operational Support Plan Development
• ICS Documentation Overview
• Training Simulation Tools Overview
• All Hazards, Computer-Simulation Exercise

Capabilities

The 32,000-square-foot EOTC uses state-of-the-art simulation and computer-based technologies to train incident managers, supervisors, and jurisdiction officials in the management of a large-scale crisis using a unified command approach, which can be tailored to any group.

Located on a 279-acre campus that encompasses two of the top hands-on emergency response training venues in the country, Disaster City® and the Brayton Fire Training Field, the multi-million-dollar EOTC includes direct links to active response in Disaster City®.

Numerous cameras located throughout Disaster City® allow for training observation from within the EOTC. The center can be configured as an incident command post or emergency operations center for full-scale, functional exercises held on the campus. Classrooms can be arranged for a variety of simulation exercises and courses.

The underlying training tool is the Emergency Management*Exercise System (EM*ES). The computer simulation tool was developed specifically for use within the EOTC by The Texas A&M University System Engineering Program, in conjunction with the Texas Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) and the National Emergency Response and Rescue Training Center (NERRTC).

The EM*ES simulation can support local, jurisdictional, regional, and large-scale response training and exercise operations involving human "role players" and computer-injected events. The system can be used in a distributed LAN mode, a web browser mode (or a combination of the two), and even in a wireless, stand-alone network. Participants can be in geographically different locations, if desired.

Contact information

For more information on the EOTC's capabilities, please contact

Kris Murphy, Senior Administrative Associate
Email: kris.murphy@teex.tamu.edu
Phone: (979) 458-5610

EOTC Map

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