If This Were an Actual Emergency . . .; Serious Training Game Looks Like 'GTA'

Disaster-training drills for the Northeast's I-95 corridor will soon be available as a video-game exercise whose visuals recall the notorious "Grand Theft Auto."

The training exercise, designed by researches at the A. James Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland, allows emergency personnel to use the Web to practice response to car accidents like Friday's in East Lyme, chemical spills and mass-casualty incidents.

The game was funded by a $1.4 million contribution from the I-95 Corridor Coalition.

This was printed in the Hartford Courant (Connecticut), November 5, 2007 Monday, STATEWIDE EDITION, SECTION: LIFE; Pg. D3.

For more information about the Hartford Courant visit their website.

November 19, 2007