Case Study: Orange County Fire Rescue Department achieves safe, realistic incident command training with SMART Technologies' SMART Board and CommandSim

Making emergency response training safe yet realistic

Orange County Fire Rescue Department, serving Orlando with over 900 firefighters and handling tens of thousands of emergency calls annually, needed a way to train incident commanders without the danger and unpredictability of on-the-job instruction. Teaching commanders to anticipate and manage complex, high-pressure scenes (like failing hydrants, missing crews, or multiple victims) required realistic practice that wouldn’t put personnel or the public at risk.

OCFRD implemented an incident command simulator using a SMART Board interactive whiteboard paired with CommandSim software, running 30-minute, touch-driven 3-D scenarios with 8–12 participants. The simulator creates immersive, realistic exercises that improve decision-making and coordination while keeping everyone safe, enabling structured practice, group debriefs, and more effective preparation for real emergencies.

Orange County Fire Rescue Department