This project will construct an Incident Command System (ICS) Training Center.  The project is primarily funded by donations from public and private agencies who will all benefit from access to this training facility.  The ICS Training Center will be housed in Billings Fire Station One.  The space for the center has been identified and is ready to accept equipment as it is purchased and received. 

Agencies who have contributed to this center are Lockwood Fire Department, Yellowstone County Rural Fire Council, Yellowstone County DES, Riverstone Health, Conoco Refinery, Exxon Refinery, and Billings Fire Department.  Funding resources and details are provided in Attachment A to this document. 

This state-of-the-art facility will provide firefighters and other emergency responders training in communication and decision based procedures in a computer based, virtual and dynamic environment.  The Center will provide training in communications procedures, incident size up, strategy and tactics, personnel accountability, mayday, evacuation, command decision making; and many more areas while involving multiple users and a constantly changing environment.

Perhaps the greatest value will be realized from cross training with surrounding agencies, such as rural fire departments and refineries, with whom the Billings Fire Department responds in mutual aid assistance.  Strengthening working relationships between various agencies will be a natural and welcome result of these training sessions. 

The center will utilize "FLAME-SIM" software program, which provides emergency scenarios and allows trainees to eliminate mistakes while enhancing safety by reinforcing departmental procedures through a process of repetition and evaluation.  The program generates after action reports, accurately detailing the actions of each participant to help evaluate the evolution of the actions taken during the incident and to assist training officers in focusing on areas of improvement.  After action reports provide a full breakdown of every command issued, and detailed information about the participant’s response including: action taken, reaction time and result for every simulation.

Due to the fact that each user is involved in the training session, post incident critiques become very involved and specific to the actions of each user involved in the training session.

This program will prove to be highly effective and beneficial to enhancing necessary incident command skills and strengthening working relationships between all agencies involved in mitigation of regional emergency incidents.

Council may:

• Approve the acceptance of the donations; or
• Not approve the acceptance of the donations.

Financial impact to the City of Billings is negligible as this program is funded primarily by donations from outside private and public agencies.

Staff recommends that the City Council accept the identified donations from public and private entities for the Incident Command System Training Center.