Hands-on Studio demos

Learn by using the real Studio controls in a separate practice draft.

Working on your own scenario? Use the small Guides button at the bottom of regular Studio. It opens movable reference instructions without replacing slides, inserting practice content, or requiring changes before you can read the next step.

Choose a demo below. Each opens the matching lesson with a prepared practice scene, highlights the current control, and offers optional feedback on what you changed. Next and Finish are always available, so you can read ahead without making an edit. Your existing Explore draft is kept separately. Skip or close restores it; Restart resets only practice. Nothing is saved to an account, and reloading clears practice.

• Quick scenario with a branchBuild two main slides, create an alternate path, and play it.12 checkpoints · about 4 minutes
• Slides, backgrounds & captionsChoose pictures, organize timed slides, and add briefing text and photo captions.14 checkpoints · about 10 minutes
• Effects and MasksA complete hands-on route through advanced effects, masks, wind, layers, and copying conditions.31 checkpoints · about 18 minutes
• Smoke, fire & advanced settingsPosition and tune real effect layers, duplicate them, and remove a practice layer.12 checkpoints · about 8 minutes
• Masks, wind & layer orderDraw building masks, control foreground layers, share wind, and reuse effects across slides.19 checkpoints · about 10 minutes
• Image layer editingEdit a provided local sample image layer without uploading or saving to an account.8 checkpoints · about 5 minutes
• Window fire & ignitionFit a window opening, control flames and smoke, and rehearse an ignition transition.13 checkpoints · about 8 minutes
• Fire spread & knockdownAnimate changing coverage, compare instant smoke-only state, and rehearse gradual suppression.12 checkpoints · about 7 minutes
• Branch settings & mapsBuild an alternate path, change its availability and return behavior, and inspect its map.10 checkpoints · about 7 minutes
• Preview & playback cuesRun, seek, restart, select an effect cue, and enter and leave a ready branch.12 checkpoints · about 6 minutes
• Present & audience displayOpen the presenter, navigate slides, and try the separate audience tab without a live room.7 checkpoints · about 5 minutes

Account-only features

Public practice cannot save or upload to an account, send invitations, change shared catalogs, or control a live class. These workflows remain written guides with their real sign-in and confirmation requirements:

• Save and reopen visuals, version history, restore deleted copies, and attach a saved snapshot to a room
• Personal photo uploads, reuse and library removal; uploading and managing your image-overlay library
• Sharing, collaboration, revocation, and importing an independent shared copy
• Shared-background administration and public-demo publishing
• Exporting exercise reports. Import/export tools outside Studio keep their existing account workflow; this public editor does not provide a simulated file save.
• Live rooms, instructor dispatch, and candidate workflows have their own written guides.

Optional and legacy controls: Older saved smoke/fire and fitted-shape variants remain compatible; the demos teach controls available for new layers. An image-layer demo edits a provided local sample; it does not simulate an account upload. Browser full screen and opening an audience tab depend on browser permissions.

Quick start for your first exercise

The ten steps from signing in to exporting a candidate report.

Use this sequence for one instructor computer and one candidate tablet or computer. Begin with a dispatch-only exercise, then add visuals, audio and branches once the room workflow is familiar.

1. Sign in. Open the Instructor Workspace and sign in to an instructor account with active access. A new workspace shows a Get started checklist that follows these steps.
2. Create Scenario. Enter a name, address, call type, CAD information, call mode, units by alarm and instructor guide.
3. Attach a presentation if needed. Open DTW Scenario Studio, build or open saved visuals, save them, then select that presentation in the scenario editor.
4. Create Room. Give the room a recognizable name and select the saved scenario.
5. Connect the candidate device. Open the station link or enter the six-character room code at Connect a Station. Name the device and connect it.
6. Ready the candidate. The candidate enters a name and taps Begin. Confirm Ready in Training Stations.
7. Dispatch. Use Dispatch Initial Assignment for tones and spoken dispatch on candidate stations, or Start Exercise for a silent start.
8. Run the exercise. Send CAD updates, dispatch later alarms, update unit status, control visual scenes or branches, and observe the candidate.
9. Save. Select Save & Next Candidate and wait for the stations to return to name entry.
10. Review. Open Saved exercises and export the candidate's PDF report.

The major parts

Essential habit: Use Save & Next Candidate whenever you need to keep an exercise. End Exercise, Change Scenario, disconnecting a station or deleting a room can clear unsaved candidate work.

Accounts, access and navigation

Create an account, start the trial, and find your way around the workspace.

Create and activate an account

1. Open the training workspace and expand Create your instructor account.
2. Enter your name, email address and a password with at least 12 characters.
3. Review and accept the terms, safety information and privacy notice.
4. Select Create Account & Continue.
5. Start the 14-day DTW Instructor trial for immediate access without a credit card.
6. After the trial, choose monthly or annual billing, enter an owner-issued complimentary access code, or contact DTW for department purchasing.
7. If access does not unlock after payment, use Refresh Subscription Status before attempting checkout again.

Navigate the workspace

Use a station name such as Command 1 or Tablet 2 for the device. Each candidate enters a separate personal name at the start of an exercise. Candidate stations do not need instructor accounts.

Forgot your password? opens the recovery page. Follow its Contact DTW instructions, use the reset link and return to sign in.

Practice exercise and instructor checklist

A short practice run plus checklists for before each class and each rotation.

Create Residential Fire 01 at 1200 Oak Street with call type Reported structure fire and Residential mode. CAD information: Caller reports smoke from a second-floor window. Occupancy status is unknown.

Alarm 1: E1 and E2 under Engines, T1 under Trucks / Ladders / Towers, and BC1 under Chiefs. Alarm 2: E3 under Engines, R1 under Rescues, and RIT1 under Specialty / RIT.

Run a short practice

1. Create the room, connect one station, enter a candidate name and tap Begin.
2. Use Dispatch Initial Assignment and confirm tones, speech, initial units and the silent instructor computer.
3. Have the candidate select On Scene, place E1, assign it and record crew entry.
4. Mark E1 On Scene from Unit Status and confirm the candidate sidebar and Notes Log update.
5. Send a CAD update and dispatch the next alarm.
6. Practice PAR, primary search, crew exit and a manual snapshot.
7. Start a visual branch, return to main, and test the presentation display.
8. Select Save & Next Candidate, verify the saved exercise and export its PDF.

Before each class

• Verify instructor access, device power, internet, site storage and browser audio.
• Review the scenario, units, alarm assignments, call mode and instructor guide.
• Preview the main visual timeline and every branch.
• Confirm the correct saved visual version is attached to the room.
• Run a test candidate, dispatch, unit-status change, report save and PDF open.

Before each candidate rotation

• Finish notes and choose Save & Next Candidate.
• Wait for all needed reports and confirm the saved entries.
• Check that devices show name entry and the room is ready.
• Confirm the next scenario before candidates tap Begin.

Create, edit and organize scenarios

Scenario fields, choosing a call mode, and editing or duplicating saved scenarios.

Open Scenario Workshop in the header and select Create Your Own Scenario, or use the Guided Scenario Creator to build the incident, timeline, slides and role-player scripts step by step. Saved Scenarios has its own page so a growing library does not crowd the workspace.

Keep candidate information separate from instructor-only material. Put a caller report in Dispatch / CAD information. Put planned timing, release conditions, teaching points and role-player lines in the instructor guide.

Choose the call mode

Use Edit to revise an existing scenario and Duplicate to create a variation. A room keeps the version loaded into it; editing the saved source does not silently change an active exercise.

Guided Scenario Creator

Build a complete exercise step by step: response, incident, timeline, Studio slides and role-player radio scripts.

Open Scenario Workshop in the header and select Guided Scenario Creator. It is included with DTW Instructor, department and academy subscriptions and with the Instructor trial.

The creator walks you through ten steps, shown as numbered buttons across the top. Use Continue and Previous, or select any step to jump to it. Drafts save to your account automatically; the status beside Save draft shows Saved when your latest changes are stored.

Fastest route: confirm your response companies, describe what you want to train on, then select Draft the whole scenario. DTW writes the details, picks default images if you have not chosen any, and drafts the timeline and role-player script in one run. You then build slides and review each section.

The ten steps

1. Response

Generation always uses your real companies, so this step comes first and must be confirmed before anything can be generated.

• Response companies by alarm: enter each company once, separated by commas. Select Add alarm for greater alarms. Later alarms stay available until Command requests them.
• Candidate unit: choose the dispatched unit the candidate will use to assume Incident Command. Its radio traffic and every Command decision are left to the candidate.
• Support roles: Safety, a chief in the area, police, the utility company and similar voices that role players can speak as. They are never dispatched or shown on the dispatch board. Rename them to match your department or turn off any you do not use.
• Operations profile (optional): save your companies and settings once and reuse them. Department profiles are shared with your organization and can be edited by department administrators.
• Department SOPs (optional): attach up to 3 files (PDF, Word, text or Markdown, 5 MB total). Generation uses them for terminology, assignments, accountability, RIT, MAYDAY and reporting language, and notes conflicts for you to resolve. They stay in your browser and are sent with each generation request; DTW does not save them.

Select Confirm response assignment when the list is correct. Changing it later flags dependent content for review.

To reuse a finished scenario elsewhere, open Make a copy for another department on this step. It saves a new scenario with companies renamed and your word swaps applied to the summary, timeline and every script version. The original is unchanged.

2. Concept

Under What do you want to train on?, describe the incident or decision you want to practice. Open Optional generation controls to set the building or occupancy, training focus, trainee role, MAYDAY (No MAYDAY, Include MAYDAY or Decide later), requested complications and other constraints. Use Add a complication to pick from the instructors' distractor list, or leave complications empty to let generation choose two or three that fit.

Generate three concepts returns three directions. Edit or regenerate any option, then select Use this concept. Start from scratch skips generation entirely.

3. Details

Shape the incident: address, origin, conditions, building, hazards, MAYDAY setting, the trainee-visible dispatch information and instructor-only assumptions. Generated concepts and details replace the placeholder Training address with a realistic street address; enter your own address first if you want generation to keep it. Approved facts guide every later step, so review them carefully, then select Approve scenario.

4. Images

The first slide uses the responding image; later events use a building view you select. Browse the DTW background library, your saved photos and overlays, saved Studio visuals, or upload images (up to 8 MB each). A default responding background is chosen for you and can be changed. Select Confirm selected images. If the exercise needs no pictures, choose This is intentionally a visual-free tabletop scenario.

5. Generate

Choose Generate one complete incident for the timeline and script together, Generate incident timeline only to review the timeline first, or Generate full incident script once the timeline is approved. Generation usually takes a few minutes. Each finished part is saved as it completes, and you can keep editing while it runs.

6. Timeline

The master timeline lists arrivals, fire development, complications and conditional branches in time order. Each event is either:

• Scenario-driven: instructor-paced incident development, such as fire extension or a collapse.
• Candidate-driven: released only after the candidate takes the stated action, such as assigning a company.

Each event can list prerequisite events, a release condition, a Prevent or adapt this event if cue, expected candidate actions, an explanation of how the fire develops and instructor notes. Suggested times are pacing cues only; nothing is released automatically. Select Approve timeline when the sequence is right.

7. Slides

Select Create Studio slides to build one real Studio slide per event, using your selected images. Build Visual opens Studio at that event's slide with an instructor-only panel showing the event, visual goal and suggested smoke or fire effects. Add effects, then use Save & return; Previous/Next event moves between slides without leaving Studio. Guided decks advance manually. Every event needs a slide (or the tabletop choice) before the scenario can be marked ready. Select Approve visuals when every slide is finished.

8. Role Players

The script covers company-to-company traffic, Dispatch, benchmark reports and conditional injects from dispatch through stabilization. Every transmission has a time, speaker, recipient, purpose and release instruction, plus optional If asked answers, what the role knows now, and information to withhold. Candidate pauses mark where the candidate is expected to act. Command wording is never generated; the candidate supplies it.

• Edit any line, add an entry, or regenerate the script for a single unit.
• New version makes another wording of the script, such as different terminology, while keeping the same times, cues, companies and events. Choose the version in the live room or when exporting.

Select Approve script when every line is correct.

9. Review

Step through each event with its photo, conditions, release cue, prerequisites, expected actions and the radio traffic tied to it. DTW checks the structure for missing references, events out of order, arrivals before assignments, MAYDAY precursors, invalid companies and incomplete scripts. Structural errors must be fixed; wording, tactics and role knowledge still need your judgment. Select Mark Training Ready when every section is approved.

10. Save and export

Download role-player scripts as text files. Simple lists time, unit and transmission with If asked and Information you know now underneath. Detailed adds release cues; its all-unit export also includes instructor notes. Single-unit exports never include other roles, the incident summary, withheld information or instructor notes. Exports made before review are marked DRAFT / REVIEW NEEDED.

The scenario appears in Saved Scenarios like any other; selecting it reopens the Guided Scenario Creator. Create a room and select it to run the exercise.

Reviewing generated content

• Every generated change opens as a proposal. Select Apply proposal or Keep existing content.
• Your own edits are protected. Generation only replaces them when you tick Replace protected edits within this selected scope.
• Undo last generated change restores the draft from before the last applied proposal.
• Changing an earlier step flags later content for review instead of silently regenerating it.
• If the scenario was saved in another tab, DTW keeps your draft and offers Save these edits as a new scenario.

Important: Generated content is a draft. Verify tactics, terminology, timing and role knowledge against your department's procedures before training. Every field can also be completed by hand without generation.

Build the private instructor guide

Objectives, timeline and role-player radio traffic that candidates never see.

The scenario editor includes an instructor guide area. The structured guide editor is available where enabled; every instructor can still use the full guide text field. Candidates cannot see this content.

Add role-player radio traffic

Select Add transmission and complete the speaker, recipient, suggested minute, release condition, optional dispatch hold and the radio line to read aloud. Reorder or remove transmissions as needed.

Important: Suggested times do not release transmissions automatically. The instructor or role-player reads each line when its conditions are met. Leave candidate command decisions open rather than scripting the expected answer.

When duplicating a scenario or changing its roster, review every unit name and any Hold until dispatched instruction. Use Edit full guide text for free-form editing. The live room shows the saved Scenario plan separately; use the Scenario shortcut to return to it during the exercise.

Units, alarms and dispatch steps

Build the roster by alarm and choose automatic or custom dispatch steps.

Enter each unit once under its alarm and unit type. The editor supports Alarms 1 through 5 and creates the roster automatically.

Automatic alarm dispatch

• Leave Dispatch by alarm automatically checked for the standard workflow.
• Start Exercise or Dispatch Initial Assignment releases Alarm 1.
• Dispatch Next Step releases the next populated later alarm.
• Dispatch Selected and Dispatch Alarm remain available for manual releases.

Custom sequence

Uncheck the automatic option to show Custom initial units & dispatch steps. Enter starting units, then one named step per line, such as First reinforcement: E3, R1. Steps reference units already in the alarm roster.

Specialty / RIT creates the specialty tile type. Use Other units only when no listed category fits. Keep labels consistent across the scenario, instructor guide, CAD messages and visuals.

Use DTW Scenario Studio

Create a visual draft and work with slides.

Open DTW Scenario Studio in the header. The editor is organized around the central canvas, slide timeline, Effects and Slide tabs, and library dialogs.

Create the visual draft

1. Select New for a new visual or open My Visuals to continue a saved item.
2. Enter a scenario name and select a slide in the timeline.
3. Use Add Photo Slide for building or incident imagery. Use Add Blank Slide for briefing text, updates or discussion prompts.
4. Use Background to choose a shared picture, a personal saved photo or a one-time upload.
5. Use the Effects tab for smoke, fire, masks and wind. Use the Slide tab for title, timing, candidate description and text.

Use Hide Editing Handles to check the candidate-facing result.

Slide actions

Background pictures and photos

Use the shared catalog, your saved photos or one-time uploads.

The shared catalog is labeled Background Pictures and grouped by incident setting.

My Saved Photos

Upload a PNG, JPEG or WebP image up to 8 MB, name it and select Upload to My Photos. Saved photos can be reused in later visuals. Removing one from your library does not break visuals that already use their own saved copy.

One-time uploads

Uploading a photo directly for the selected slide uses it in that draft. Saving the visual preserves the image. A personal-library upload does not replace the active slide until you select it.

Use fictional or authorized imagery. Confirm you have permission to use uploaded photos. Remove personal information, patient information, addresses or other sensitive content before saving or sharing.

Fire, smoke, text and masks

Place and tune effects, window fire, fire spread, text and masks.

Add and place effects

Use + Smoke, + Fire or + Window Fire. Drag the numbered handle to position the effect. Select it to edit size, density or intensity, opacity, shape, motion, position and wind. Duplicate Effect copies it; Remove Effect deletes it.

Window Fire

• Drag the four corner handles to fit the opening in perspective; the numbered handle moves the whole window.
• Adjust flame reach, window smoke density, plume height, opening darkness and firelight.
• Use Fire knocked down (smoke only) to keep the dark opening while smoke rises from the window.

Animated fire spread

Enable Animate fire spread, place the effect at its final coverage, then set starting coverage, delay, duration and direction. Use Restart Spread Preview while editing.

Text over a photo

Use + Text, then enter a label, update or instruction. Adjust size, box width, position, color, background and alignment. Drag the T handle to place it.

Masks and wind

Under Hide Behind Building, select Draw / Edit Mask and outline the foreground area with at least three points. The mask hides animation behind the roofline or wall. Shared slide wind moves all effects together; turn it off when individual effects need their own direction.

Training model: DTW Scenario Studio is a controlled visual aid, not a predictive fire or smoke model. Instructors remain responsible for realistic conditions and exercise objectives.

Timelines, preview and presenting

Separate the presenter and student screens: Select Present, then Open audience tab. Move the audience tab to a projector window or share only that tab. The original tab keeps slide names, slide picker, timing, branches, Ignite now and Knock Down Now. Select Show slides in the audience tab to hide its setup controls. The tabs must be in the same browser on the same device; this is not a remote-device link. Keep the controller open. Audience refresh reconnects; reloading or closing the controller ends that session and holds the audience's last clean slide. Browser full screen is optional, and iPad/Safari tab suspension requires testing on the device.

Slide timing, previewing a draft, and presenting with or without a live room.

Main timeline

The first main slide begins at 0 seconds. Later main slides use times measured from initial dispatch. Branch slides use their own timeline that starts at 0 when you start the branch.

Preview the draft

1. Select Preview.
2. Use Play to test timed changes, or Previous Slide, Next Slide and the time slider to inspect a point.
3. Press each branch button to test it, then Return to Main.
4. Use Restart to return to the beginning, then Close Preview.

Preview shows the current unsaved draft. It does not save or dispatch. Every photo slide needs a valid image.

Standalone presentation

Select Present to show the current draft full-screen without creating a room. Editing panels, handles and mask outlines are hidden. Previous, Next, Play/Pause, Restart, Full Screen, branch buttons and Exit Presentation stay available in a compact control bar.

While presenting, number keys 1–9 start branches in order and M returns to the main scenario.

Live room presentation

In a room, use Create Presentation Link, then Open Presentation or Copy Presentation Link. The read-only display follows the room's visual scene, holds and branches. It does not join as a candidate.

Timing note: Pausing or holding visuals does not pause the incident timer.

Branches: alternate paths

Build every path a candidate might choose (360°, interior entry, VES) and start it with one click.

Branches are alternate paths you build ahead of time and start when the candidate announces that action. The main scenario plays normally until you start a branch.

Build a branch

1. Build the main scenario. Add the slides everyone sees from dispatch.
2. Select a slide, then + Add Branch. Name it, or choose a quick name such as “360° size-up”. The branch starts with a copy of the selected slide.
3. Keep the defaults: Any time during the exercise and Go back to the main scenario where it left off. The dialog shows a sentence describing what the branch will do.
4. Edit the branch slides. Change the photo and effects, and add slides if conditions should change over time. Use Back to Main Scenario when you are done, then build the next branch.
5. Check it. Open Branch Map to see every path, preview it, then Save Visuals.

Run a branch

In Present, Preview or a live room, every branch is a button. Press it when the candidate commits to that action. The playing branch is highlighted.

• Any-time branches can be started from any point, including from another branch, for example 360° first and then interior entry.
• Return to Main is available in every branch and goes back to the main scenario where you left it.
• Restarting the exercise always returns to the main scenario.

Other options

Limits

• Up to 12 branches and 40 total slides across the complete visual.
• Branches cannot contain their own sub-branches.
• A main slide that a branch starts from or jumps to cannot be deleted until that branch is changed or removed.

Image layers and overlay libraries

Place scene details above a photo, then size and order them with other layers.

The practice demo supplies a local ENGINE 1 marker. Select it to change position, size, width, height, opacity and rotation. Duplicate it to make an independent layer, then use Send to Back, Move Backward, Move Forward and Bring to Front to control overlap. Remove Image affects the selected draft layer.

Your account library

In signed-in Studio, open Image Overlays to upload a PNG, JPEG or WebP up to 8 MB. PNG and WebP can contain transparent areas. Name the image and select Upload Image, then select its library card to add it to the current photo slide. Removing a library image preserves saved scenarios that already use it. Uploading and library management are disabled in public Explore; no account upload is claimed by this demo.

Save, manage and attach visuals

Saving versions, attaching visuals to scenarios and rooms, and controlling them live.

Save behavior

The first Save Visuals creates a saved item. Later saves update the same item. Use New to start a separate item. Stale saves from another tab are rejected while the local draft stays available.

Open My Visuals to open or delete items you own. A visual attached to a saved scenario must be detached before deletion. Deleting the source does not remove copies or room snapshots already created.

Attach to a saved scenario

1. Open the scenario in Saved Scenarios.
2. Choose the saved presentation under DTW Scenario Studio.
3. Save Scenario.
4. Load or reload that scenario into the room before dispatch.

Attach to a waiting room

Select the saved presentation and use Attach Before Dispatch. Confirm the title and ready status in the room. Later edits do not replace the version already copied into a room.

Control during the exercise

Rooms and candidate stations

Create a room, connect candidate devices with the six-character code, and check readiness.

Create the room

1. Save at least one training scenario.
2. Select Create Room, enter a recognizable name, choose the saved scenario and create it.
3. Note the room code shown at the top of the dispatch board.
4. Rooms are reusable. Return through Training rooms and Open Room.

Connect each candidate device

1. Use Room & Exercise to copy the station link, or open digitaltacticalworksheets.com/training/station/ on the device.
2. Enter the six-character room code.
3. Give the device a distinct station name and select Connect Station.
4. Leave the browser at Enter your name until the candidate is ready.
5. Confirm the station appears under Training Stations.

The browser remembers its room connection using site storage, so use the same browser and keep site storage enabled.

Check readiness

Verify station name, candidate name, connection status and readiness. A waiting station has no active candidate; a ready station has a candidate name. Backgrounded browsers may briefly appear offline until they resume.

Multiple stations in one room receive the same dispatch, CAD, visual and unit-status updates while keeping independent worksheets. Use separate rooms when scenarios or timing must be independent.

Do not disconnect casually: disconnecting a station clears its current unsaved exercise. Save the report first.

Dispatch audio and unit status

Spoken dispatch on candidate stations, and marking resources On Scene.

Dispatch Initial Assignment

In Dispatch Units, review Initial Assignment and select Dispatch Initial Assignment. The candidate stations, not the instructor computer, play the tones and announcement.

• The candidate's Begin tap enables audio on that device.
• By default DTW plays tones, announces the address, call type and initial units, pauses and repeats once.
• Candidate CAD units are released at the start of the sequence. Stopping audio does not remove them.
• Use the audio settings to disable speech, tones or the repeat for the next dispatch. Stop Audio cancels current playback.

If a station blocks audio after a reload, the candidate uses Enable Audio; then dispatch again. Start Exercise remains available for a silent start.

Mark resources On Scene

Under Dispatch Units, use Unit Status for released resources. Select units and choose Mark Selected On Scene, or return them to Dispatched to correct status. Candidate sidebars show On Scene above Dispatched. The change is timestamped in CAD Updates and the Notes Log and does not move tiles already placed.

Two different arrivals: the candidate selecting On Scene records their own arrival. Marking E1 On Scene changes that resource's sidebar status. The two are independent.

The instructor dispatch board

Start the exercise, release units, send CAD updates and control visuals.

The board has shortcuts for Scenario, Dispatch, CAD, Visuals, Stations and Room. Watch the connection indicator, last-sync information, incident timer, candidate status and audio status.

Send a CAD update

Choose a Quick CAD update or type a message. Presets insert editable text; they do not send automatically. Select Send CAD Update and confirm it appears in history.

Visuals and branches

Use the Visuals section to pause and resume, Show Scene & Hold, start branches with one click and Return to Main. Candidates use View Conditions; the button shows when the scene changes. See Branches.

Scenario plan

Select Scenario to review objectives, timing, SOP context and role-player lines. These notes stay instructor-only.

After a connection warning, check the roster, CAD history, unit status, visuals and station feedback before repeating an action. The first action may have arrived even if its confirmation was lost.

Save exercises and export PDF reports

Save before clearing, then export and check the candidate's PDF.

Save before clearing

1. Finish the exercise and ask candidates to complete their notes.
2. Confirm every needed station is connected and open.
3. In Room & Exercise, select Save & Next Candidate.
4. Wait while devices send worksheet and snapshot information.
5. Confirm the devices return to Enter your name and the entries appear under Saved exercises.

An offline station may hold the room at Saving reports. Keep its browser open and restore the connection. Do not use End Exercise while you still need its work.

Export the report

1. Open Saved exercises and find the candidate and date.
2. Select Export PDF Report and wait for the ready message.
3. Select Print / Save as PDF and use a descriptive filename.
4. Open the file and verify candidate, scenario, board images, snapshots, assignments, benchmarks and notes.

The report is an exercise record, not an automatic evaluation or certification. A candidate may also use More > Export Incident Report (PDF); this does not replace Save & Next Candidate.

Rotate candidates and manage rooms

Run the same scenario again, change scenarios, and choose the right room action.

Repeat the same scenario

After Save & Next Candidate finishes, the room and devices stay connected. Confirm each station shows Enter your name, have the next candidate tap Begin, and dispatch again.

Change scenario

1. Save every report you need.
2. Choose the new item under Selected scenario and select Change Scenario.
3. Review address, call mode, roster, instructor guide and visual version.
4. Confirm stations returned to name entry, then ready the new candidates.

Choose the correct room action

Saved scenarios and completed reports remain available after a room is deleted.

The candidate worksheet

Join, acknowledge dispatch, place and assign units, and record crew entry and exit.

Join and acknowledge dispatch

1. At Enter your name, enter a name and select Begin.
2. Wait for dispatch. Listen to the audio and read the address, call type, CAD information and units.
3. Select On Scene to enter the worksheet.
4. Select the incident address in the CAD panel to reopen dispatch information, then Return to Worksheet.

Place and assign units

The CAD sidebar separates On Scene and Dispatched resources. Drag a unit onto the worksheet and into a group or division, or tap it to create its tile. Move an existing tile when changing assignments to avoid duplicates. Open a tile to enter a note or choose an assignment.

Record crew entry and exit

1. Open the unit details and enter the crew count.
2. Select an entry side and an optional floor.
3. Select Record Entry. DTW timestamps and logs it.
4. When the crew exits, reopen the unit and select Record Exit.

Expand CAD Updates for new information. Select View Conditions when available and Return to Worksheet afterward.

PAR, primary search, benchmarks and snapshots

Conduct a PAR, track primary search, and capture snapshots.

Conduct a PAR

1. Select PAR. Unit tiles get pending red outlines and the control changes to End PAR.
2. Double-click or double-tap each reporting unit tile. Confirmed units turn green.
3. Target the unit tile inside a group or division, not the heading.
4. Review remaining pending units before selecting End PAR.

Track primary search

1. Open Primary Search and select + Search Completion.
2. Enter the room or area and reporting unit.
3. Mark Fire Apartment or Fire Area only for the identified fire location.
4. Use Entire Building only for a report covering the whole building.

Notes, benchmarks and snapshots

Use the benchmark controls when events occur. The Notes tab collects CAD updates, unit notes, assignments, entries and exits, newest first. Stations capture snapshots about every two minutes, at key events and when saving. Use More > Capture Snapshot Now for an important moment.

Candidate quick reference (handout)

A one-page summary to print for candidates.

The instructor connects the device and controls the exercise.

Begin

1. Enter your name and select Begin. This also enables dispatch audio on the device.
2. Wait for dispatch. Listen to the announcement and read the address, call information and units.
3. Select On Scene to enter the worksheet.
4. If audio is blocked after a refresh, select Enable Audio and tell the instructor to dispatch again.

Work the incident

• Resources: use units released in the CAD sidebar. On Scene resources appear above Dispatched.
• Assignments: place units and drag them into groups or divisions, or enter an assignment from the tile.
• Crew entry/exit: open the unit, record crew count and entry side, then record exit when the crew leaves.
• CAD updates: expand CAD Updates; select the address to review the original dispatch.
• Visuals: select View Conditions when available and Return to Worksheet afterward.
• PAR: select PAR, then double-click or double-tap each reporting unit. Review pending units before End PAR.
• Primary search: record the room or area and reporting unit.

Finish

Keep the worksheet open while the instructor saves. Wait until Enter your name returns. Do not close, reset or clear browser data during saving.

Share scenarios and visuals

Send a copy or collaborate with another instructor account.

Open Sharing from the Account menu, or use Share from a saved item.

Invitation workflow

1. Enter the email of an existing DTW instructor account.
2. The invitation appears in the recipient's notifications and Sharing page. No email is sent.
3. The recipient accepts or declines. Active training access is required to accept.
4. The owner can revoke collaboration; a recipient can leave or duplicate into an independent copy.

Only the owner can delete the original. Rooms use a snapshot, so later edits or revocation do not interrupt an exercise already running.

Owner tools

Controls available only to the verified DTW owner account.

Profile settings, billing ownership, instructor passcodes and test profiles do not grant owner permission.

• Owner Dashboard summarizes registered instructors and paid accounts, with search, filters and paging. It does not expose passwords, tokens, payment identifiers, candidate names, scenario content or reports.
• Manage Shared Backgrounds uploads, renames or removes catalog pictures. Removal keeps images already used in saved visuals and rooms.
• Upload to Public Demo replaces the public Scenario Studio demo with a copy of a saved presentation, including photos and branches.
• AI Scenario Builder (pilot) drafts or duplicates scenarios for review. Only Save as new scenario keeps the result.

Troubleshooting

Fixes for access, connection, audio, visuals, sharing and report problems.

Access is unavailable

Check Plans & Billing. After payment or code redemption, use Refresh Subscription Status and verify the signed-in email before another checkout.

A station will not connect or Begin is unavailable

Confirm the six-character room code, station link, internet connection and site storage. Use the candidate station page, not the instructor workspace or presentation link. Wait for saving or resetting to finish.

Dispatch audio is silent

Confirm the candidate tapped Begin, device volume is on and audio is enabled. After a refresh, use Enable Audio on the candidate device, then dispatch again.

A unit is missing or in the wrong sidebar group

Confirm it was dispatched, not only added to the roster. Use Unit Status to move a released resource between Dispatched and On Scene.

Visuals are old, held or missing

Confirm the saved version was attached before dispatch; saving edits does not update the room. Check Pause Visuals, Show Scene & Hold, the active branch and Resume Timed Scenes.

A branch button is disabled

The branch is set to Only while this main slide shows. Hover the button to see which slide, or change the branch to Any time during the exercise in Branch Settings.

Sharing invitation is missing

Confirm the recipient has an instructor account under the exact email, then refresh the notifications or Sharing page. No email is sent.

The room stays at Saving reports

Keep the candidate tab open and restore its connection. Do not clear browser data or use End Exercise while the report is needed.

A PDF does not open

Allow the report tab or pop-up, wait for loading, then use Print / Save as PDF.

Support: contact@digitaltacticalworksheets.com. Include the page, device and browser, approximate time, room code and the exact error message. Never send passwords or access codes.