The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) has introduced a new training platform to help teachers, staff, first responders, and local law enforcement prepare for response plans to critical incidents at schools.
The virtual training platform is called the Enhanced Dynamic Geo-Social Environment (EDGE). The S&T developed this free resource along with the U.S. Army Simulation and Training Technology Center (STTC) and Cole Engineering Services Inc. (CESI).
“When it comes to the safety and security of students, there is no holding back,” said William Bryan, S&T senior official performing the duties of the undersecretary for science and technology. “In many cases, school staff are the ‘first responders’ at the scene of an on-campus incident. We developed EDGE to help them prepare, so they have a new resource literally at their fingertips. By using EDGE to train, they can know how to act swiftly, decisively, and in collaboration with local emergency responders if and when something does happen.”
EDGE is built on the Unreal 4 gaming engine, which powers popular video games like Fortnite and Street Fighter 5. This virtual training system allows first responders and educators to role-play complex scenarios in a virtual environment, improving and reinforcing coordination, communication, and critical decision-making skills. Users control avatars that represent their real-life role—teachers, administrators, school resource officers, local law enforcement, and more—to execute various scenarios. It can be used to train for any type of incident, from parental custody disputes to potential bomb threats, an active shooter or other critical incidents.
“While EDGE leverages the best that gaming technology has to offer, it is important to note that it is not a traditional video game,” S&T EDGE Program Manager Milt Nenneman said. “There are no winners or losers, and there are no pre-programmed situations to react to—EDGE allows agencies to create their own lesson plans, each with different outcomes based on the actions users take in the environment. There is some artificial intelligence programmed in, but for the most part, users control the reactions of their own avatars under the guidance of a training manager.”
The EDGE team worked with stakeholders across the country to incorporate feedback into the training platform. The EDGE training is modeled after a middle school in West Orange, New Jersey.
“You can never prepare enough. Using tools like EDGE—it can’t hurt, it can only help,” Lieutenant John Morella, of the West Orange, New Jersey Police Department, said. “[EDGE is] another tool in our toolbox, and it will allow us to do more training and be more interactive—not only on the police side but the education side as well. It allows us to reset, go through multiple scenarios in a much shorter period of time, and it’s more efficient and cost-effective. For this to be free, and for [responders and educators] to use this as often as they want…that’s a home run.”