Scene SizeUpSchedule a demo

Quick start: your first drill

This page runs from an empty account to a finished after-action review. Budget about 20 minutes for the first pass. Every step links to a page with the full detail.

You need an instructor account to build scenarios and run drills. Members can join drills and read this documentation.

1. Build a minimum scenario#

  1. Open Scenario Builder and click + New scenario. Name it something you will recognize later, for example Quick start test.
  2. On the Views tab, click + Add view.
  3. Use Street View, type an address in your district, and add the image. Name it Side A.
  4. Click Fire in the toolbar, then click the building where you want fire showing. Drag it into position, and scroll over it to change its size.
  5. Open the Setup tab. Enter the incident address (the dispatcher reads it aloud), then add one responding unit: callsign Engine 1, type engine, arriving between 1 and 2 minutes.

The scenario saves itself. The header shows Saved when it has. If it shows ⚠ Not saved, the reason is on the line with it.

A one-view, one-fire, one-unit scenario is enough to run a drill. See Walkthrough: a residential structure fire for a complete build.

2. Start the session#

  1. Go to Sessions and create a session. Give it a name your members will recognize, such as Tuesday drill.
  2. The session shows a four-character code. Signed-in members do not need it: once you load a scenario, the drill appears under Happening now on their Sessions page with a Join button. The code is for guests, for mutual-aid partners, and for drills you do not want advertised to the whole department.
  3. If your members do not have accounts yet, turn on guest joins when you create the session. Otherwise they sign in with their own account.

3. Get everyone in#

  1. Members open the site, sign in, and press Join on the drill, or enter the code.
  2. Before the clock starts, everyone is in the lobby. The lobby microphone is open: people can talk to each other normally, and each person has a mute button.
  3. Assign members to units in the roster area of the session.
  4. Click Ready check. Each member confirms, and the header counts confirmations.

4. Run it#

  1. Load your scenario from the Injects/scenario control in the session, then click ▶ Start.
  2. Starting the clock dispatches the call. The dispatcher reads the units, the address, and the time. Open microphones close and the radio switches to push-to-talk: one transmitter at a time.
  3. Members see a responding screen until their unit arrives, then the scene appears.
  4. Give someone command, then work the incident: the IC declares strategy and assigns companies, companies report conditions by radio or with a CAN report.
  5. When you are done, click ■ End session. Everyone moves to the review together.

5. Review it#

The session ends on the after-action review. Press play, or drag the timeline to any moment. Radio traffic plays back in place with its transcript, and the feed shows every action with its time.

Where to go next#