Newswise — You may have seen recent news about the release of Enhanced Dynamic Geo-Social Environment (EDGE), S&T’s new virtual training that is now available to response agencies nationwide. Built on the Unreal gaming engine, EDGE allows responders of all disciplines to role-play complex response scenarios—the first, an incident at a local hotel, brings law enforcement, fire, emergency medical services, dispatch, and unified command together to combat an active shooter.

Many first responders have already requested access to the platform, and we know others may have questions:

  • How can we get our hands on EDGE?
  • Who is eligible to obtain EDGE?
  • What are the benefits of implementing EDGE into agency training programs?
  • What are the system requirements?
  • How much does EDGE cost?

In response to the last question, the EDGE platform is free! The platform is accessible at no cost to local, state, federal, and tribal first responders, emergency management agencies, hospitals, and select others upon request.

For all other questions, we invite you to join a live Facebook conversation with S&T’s EDGE program manager Milt Nenneman, as well as our development partners from the U.S. Army Research Laboratory’s Simulation and Training Technology Center and Cole Engineering Services, Inc. We will offer EDGE updates, answer audience questions, and provide a sneak peek at the next EDGE training scenario—a school shooting response—which will be released this fall.

Our EDGE First Responder Facebook Town Hall will take place on August 14 from 1:00 to 2:00 EDT. Follow http://www.facebook.com/dhsscitech for more details!