- [Instructor] The spectrum of tactical decision
game formats can range from a simple guided discussion,
to full scale dynamic simulations.
This group is engaged in a guided discussion,
also known as a seminar.
- Given the information I just gave you guys,
you roll up on scene as a division Bravos.
You see the resources on the line
and you pick up as you look up the line
a spot fire, but it doesn't look to be too big.
What are some of the things that you're thinking
about right now?
What are your main concerns?
- I'd be concerned about that Crew involved in burning
and you have a crew down here
and how much time is it gonna take
to get support up to them.
- Do you have any thoughts
or do you have any other concerns?
Are you seeing something the guys aren't seeing?
- No. I think what Travis said is that initial.
- Yeah. I mean, you guys are picking up on some really
good things here.
Obviously, you have action being.
- [Instructor] The seminar format is good for participants
or facilitators who are new to TDG's.
With practice, facilitators will want to move
toward the other end of the spectrum
running dynamic simulations with participants
becoming active role players.
As you'll see, the simulation format is more challenging
for the participants.
Here, participants engage in an open ended role play
with multiple outcomes,
rather than focusing on a single discussion question.
Role players are briefed on table setup,
rules, and the specifics of the scenario.
- Good afternoon, guys.
I'm Julian, as you guys know
I'll be facilitating this sand table this afternoon.
We go ahead and get started.
I'm gonna start off with some of the table rules.
We're gonna go ahead and use these radios as props
and go ahead and take one, pass it on.
Make sure everybody has a radio.
So to learn simulation,
any communication that you guys have with each other,
if you're not face to face,
make sure that you're communicating on the radio
like you would on an incident.
If you're face to face,
like if you're on the line together
or you happen to be in the staging area
or something like that,
go ahead and communicate together like you normally would.
The table's set up.
I know you guys have done these before
but I'm gonna give you a scale first.
I've got the long side of the table here.
It is two miles long, okay.
About a mile long on the short end here.
I've got indicators of North, South, East and West.
So the top of the table is North.
I've got different colors of yarn
to represent different things.
Laid out on the table as well.
I've used black yarn here to represent
a good paved two lane highway.
I've got brown yarn here that represents a dozer line
and I've got toys here
to represent different pieces of equipment.
So, they represent what they are in real life.
I've got an engine here represents BLM Type Four engine,
crew halls, for type one crew halls.
- [Instructor] There will always be a primary role
known as the hot seat.
All role players are responsible
for preparing to play the role of the hot seat.
- All right, so you're in Northern New Mexico.
(paper rustling)
You are a division supervisor
assigned to division Bravo
on the Zia fire.
It's June 17th,
the weather that you see right there
is predicted for the day.
92 degrees is the high.
South winds, 5 to 10 in the morning,
and then switching to the Southwest.
This is an emerging type two incident,
but the type two team has not taken over yet.
So you're still working for an IC3 organization.
Their intent is for you to take over division Bravo
and continue a burnout and basically tie up
this corner of the fire that's still active.
Resources assigned to you.
You have a Type Four Engine
- (Instructor) Role players will get time
to ask clarifying questions.
- You guys have any other questions?
- Do we know if there's an existing division Bravo?
- We don't know that yet.
- 700 fire behaviors, what's fire behavior doing?
- It's just backing into the wind and backing down slow.
- Okay.
- (Instructor) Just prior to beginning the simulation,
roles will be assigned.
The primary role or hot seat should be assigned last.
- Crew two.
Those are one.
Engine two.
Okay, with division.
Division Bravo.
- All right.
- So you show up on the line and you see crew carriers
with the hot crew gathering up on the back
the BLM engine sitting here
at the bottom of the hand line.
And you can see the burnout coming down the hill.
- (Instructor) The hot seat will be left
at a decision point to begin the scenario.
Decisions must be made and then communicated
as they would be in real life.
- Yeah, curtail is burning out from the top of the hill
where you can see,
and we've got a little bit of open line.
Basically the intent here today is trying
to wrap up this corner.
Crew 2 division Bravo.
- Division Bravo crew 2, go ahead.
- (Instructor) Role players are responsible
for playing their role to the best of their ability.
- I do have an assistant,
I might be able to break him off quick,
to take a look out to the East there.
- If we could help support the burnout operation
and if we could get somebody to get some eyes on
the stretch.
- We had been plugged into that hose lay on and off.
We can plug back in there, if that's your thought.
- That would be great. - Okay.
- (Instructor) Throughout the scenario
role players must communicate
as they would on a real incident.
- Zia fire command division Bravo.
- This is the IC, go ahead Bravo.
- Yeah, I need to see about a, we've got a dozer out here
that's running low on fuel.
I wanted to see if we could possibly mitigate that
and get some fuel out.
- (Instructor) At the conclusion of the simulation,
the facilitator will start the after action review.
All role players should contribute to this process.
- Your piece that I need you to take care of
is the highway close to the river and the structures.
- Okay. I copy that in the scenario.
There was the training objective,
given the scenario you needed to make decisions
and then communicate those decisions as onto the ground
as far as tactical assignments.
Let's go ahead and jump into the after action review.