Emergency Response Training with AR and Customized Virtual Production

The traditional tabletop exercise is a standard tool for first responder training. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown, our instructors were unable to travel to and visit sites for in-person training. Our team at the Oak Ridge Enhanced Technology and Training Center (ORETTC) developed two solutions to bridge the gap created. An augmented reality (AR) tabletop exercise (TTX) and a customized site-specific scenario-based exercise. Through the use of AR headsets, we are able to project TTX scenarios in front of participants and facilitate the training from a distance. Participants are able to choose roles specific and run through several drills to practice communications and procedures in an emergency situation. The customized site-specific scenario-based exercise uses greenscreen technology on an LED volume wall and enlists role-player actors to portray adversaries, insiders, or bystanders, these videos recreate response scenarios in a no-fault training. The immersive nature of these videos provides participants with a direct view of their own work environments, such as lobbies, hallways, or source rooms, foster increased engagement and facilitate more effective knowledge transfer. These videos are then used in virtual or in person training to promote communication between site personal and community emergency responders.