Thanks bacpacjac. A simulation is a good idea. My co-instructor uses the San Bruno gas line explosion as his teaching example. He was a mutual aid dispatcher when it blew, working for two hours in the communications center, then deploying with the field command post for another 28 hours. In total, tactical dispatchers staffed the field command post for 14 days. Although tragic due to the loss of life and property, this event was nothing compared to what a major earthquake would do to the same area.