Emergency management instructor and veteran firefighter Arthur J. Simental unveils his new board game, Emergency Operations Center: Wildfire Mayhem—a training tool designed to be more immersive and realistic than a traditional tabletop exercise. Inspired by military war games, this ESF-based game challenges players to manage resources, a dynamic, growing fire, and unexpected "chaos" events, providing a powerful new way for first responders to learn and prepare.

In this episode, you'll learn about:

• War Gaming for Disasters: How military strategy games inspired a new training tool for emergency management.
• Inside Wildfire Mayhem: A look at the ESF-based roles, resource tokens, and game mechanics.
• The Chaos System: How a deck of 144 "Chance Cards" injects realism, risk, and unpredictability into the scenario.
• Beyond the Fire: Managing other crises, from evacuations to political turmoil.
• Learning from Failure: Why this game is designed to teach through challenging scenarios, not just "win-win" exercises.
• The Future of the Game: Plans for expansions (hurricanes, earthquakes) and a toolkit for custom scenarios.
• The "Medieval Times" of Firefighting: Why we must adopt new technologies and thinking to combat modern disasters.
• How to Get the Game: Details on the Kickstarter pre-order campaign.