Virtual active shooter training developed for teachers

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — There is now a virtual training class, developed in Orlando, and soon available world wide, to help guide teachers through active shooter scenarios.

The project's Creative Director, Tabatha Dwyer told Channel 9's Angela Jacobs that Enhanced Dynamic Geo-Social Environment training, or EDGE, was developed by the Department of Homeland Security at the Army Research Lab in Orlando.

The training was first developed for first responders to terrorist attacks.

The high tech virtual simulation training shows an active shooter at a school where teachers go through several scenarios.

“Law enforcement and DHS is trying to teach teachers how to run when you can, hide when you can't, run and fight back when you don't have any opportunity,” Dwyer said.

The simulation uses as many as eight exercises to help train teachers.

“To see what it’s like to lock doors, to barricade doors, to tell children, to make the hard decisions, ‘We need to jump out the window, right now, right now, and escape,” Dwyer said.

The simulation can train up to 20 people at a time. Developers went through hours of real life 911 calls and researched other school shootings at Columbine and Sandy Hook.

“Each school is doing it differently, and I think we hope that this can help make better decisions at each of those schools across the country and ultimately to save lives,” Dwyer said.

The training program is expected to be released this spring. The general public will not have access to the training. It’s free to agencies and schools that are cleared to have it.

Cox Media Group