Thank goodness we are back to a time where people can meet face-to-face. This year’s FDIC International was a perfect example.
I had the benefit of doing a little “hands-on” work with a virtual reality training product. Without the “in-person” experience, I cannot image getting a good grasp of the possibilities of virtual training. Disclaimer: I am not of an age that grew up playing with electronic games (we did not have computers, tablets, or the like), nor have I had any inclination as an older adult to engage in the electronic game arena. Besides, I am kryptonite to such devices.
Virtual reality training is not a new phenomenon. We have seen driver training simulators for several years. Airline pilots have used simulators for decades. However, I am not aware of many fire departments that have access to virtual training. But, as with most all electronics, the price is coming down as the quality of the product goes up.
My experience at FDIC was with the FLAIM system in the W.S. Darley booth. There are likely other virtual training products on the market or in development (I hope there are or will be), but my research did not come up with anything comparable. The system I used consisted of, among other items, a backpack that was the size, shape, and weight of a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). There was a super high-tech goggle system that created the images, and there was a TFT nozzle that had been modified with high-tech equipment. The nozzle was attached to a 1½-inch hoseline. Amazingly, there was nozzle reaction just as in an actual fire stream. I wore a vest that generated the heat exposure from a fire. The system is designed to be used with your personal protective equipment (PPE) ensemble except for the helmet and the SCBA.
The most amazing and realistic part of the system was the effect it had on three of the five human senses—touch, sound, and sight. And, in actual live firefighting with the SCBA in use, there is no smell or taste. As mentioned earlier, the nozzle reaction is felt through the touch sense and the vest heating also is realistic to the touch. However, the most instructive sense as it relates to actual firefighting is sight. The visual images were various and realistic with an image of water coming from the nozzle. The flow image and the pattern image are controlled through the nozzle just as in actual firefighting. (Of course, there is no real water flowing.) The entire time I was using the system I was standing up, but I was often tempted to get down on my knees and crawl around.
So, what are the advantages of virtual reality training? With a well-designed system that comes very close to reality, there is the opportunity for getting lots of hours of training for being the one on the end of the nozzle. Think about it: How many hours have you spent on the end of a nozzle in actual firefighting or in live-fire training? The ability to obtain acquired structures for burning is becoming more difficult. Combine this with the local restrictions on conducting live-fire burns, and it is very difficult to gain experience operating a nozzle. The system I was using had more than 60 firefighting scenarios. It went well beyond the room-and-contents fire.
A big advantage of virtual reality training is health and safety. After making fire attacks through virtual reality, you come out with no additional carcinogens or other contaminants from the products of combustion. There is no need for a preliminary exposure control process and your PPE (and other equipment) does not have to be cleaned. The training environment is more controlled, and the possibility of a firefighter injury is drastically minimized.
I also believe that virtual reality training is something firefighters will look forward to conducting. It should be especially appealing to younger firefighters, as they have grown up in an era where such technology is second nature. I cannot help but think this could be a tool for recruiting and maintaining volunteer firefighters.
A final advantage to such a system is cost. Though it is too expensive for most fire departments (larger metro departments aside), it is a system to consider on a regional basis such as community colleges and regional associations. Compare the cost of this system, per use; compare the direct and indirect cost of live-fire training on an acquired structure, per use. No, it is not real, but it is training that has tremendous value.
ROBERT TUTTEROW retired as safety coordinator for the Charlotte (NC) Fire Department and is a member of the Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment Editorial Advisory Board. His 40-year career includes 10 as a volunteer. He has been very active in the National Fire Protection Association through service on the Fire Service Section Executive Board and technical committees involved with safety, apparatus, and personal protective equipment. He is a founding member and president of the Fire Industry Education Resource Organization (F.I.E.R.O.).
