Intelligent command and control of large fire incidents

The Design Information Research Team (DIRT) have undertaken a project funded by the UK Training Agency to create a multi-media AI and intelligent tutoring based simulation of being in command and control at a large fire incident. Knowledge acquisition for this project is supported by the Fire Brigade and West Midlands Fire Authority in particular. The system, ICCARUS (intelligent command and control-acquisition and review using simulation), is being designed as a multimedia environment in which `realistic´ concrete experience is gained of attending, commanding and controlling a major fire incident. The implementation of AI techniques, supported by a Mac IIx, transputers, various optical technology and the use of a sophisticated WIMPS interface allows the participating officer, as in `real life´, to become an information nexus; able to request and allocate resources within an audio/textual/visual environment, creating a real-time, event-based qualitative simulation, capable of realistically modelling the behaviour of both the fire and the decision making capabilities of the agents under the officer´s control