Idaho State University

How would you train for another Hurricane Katrina when it's impossible to re-create? Those at Idaho State may have the answer. It's not real life, but designers call it the next best thing - a virtual town built for virtually any kind of disaster. Ramesh Ramloll, ISU Professor/Program Designer: "When you are in a virtual environment, you have the sense of presence of actually being in the situation." Placing emergency personnel in emergency situations is the name of this game. It's called Play 2 Train, designed by ISU Professor Ramesh Ramloll, providing a platform to train for any scenerio with an infinite amount of variables.

In this case, I'm a fireman in a hospital, giving an example of what it would be like to actually work in a hospital. But in theory, I could be anyone anywhere, facing any kind of situation." Ramesh Ramloll: "For hospital, you could have nurses, health care providers or even volunteers to know how to deal with a serious situation. For example, pandemic flu - lots of patients coming in, how to address the situation. How do you route patients or individuals or well-wishers? How do you deal with them? You can practice communication skills. You can also practice drug dispensing." And the best part, designers say - as long as you have a computer, you can practice from anywhere in the world. Neil Piland, ISU: "We're looking to prepare large numbers of practicing professionals who are very busy and do not have a lot of time to go out and take training in classrooms or convention-type settings." ...Plus logistically easier and far less costly than full-blown re-creations. Ramesh Ramloll: "It's not a replacement for a full-scale excercise. It's the next best thing." Organizations like the CDC, TVI Comp (which makes emergency response equipment) and Blue Med have expressed interest in the program. For more information, log on to www.play2train.org.