How virtual reality makes for more competent volunteer firefighters

Volunteer Firefighter Alliance (VFA) is an organization that leads the way in promoting volunteer firefighting. It also features methods employed by certain firefighting units that work to equip volunteers with better skills. This blog sheds light on what a certain firefighting unit based in Queensland, Australia, has been doing.

The Queensland Fire and Emergency Services has adopted a locally developed virtual reality training simulator to prepare firefighters for real-world situations. Specifically, the training program is made up of two components. These are the Flaim Trainer and Flaim Extinguisher, which are aimed at leveling up the skills of 30,000 firefighters, shares the Volunteer Firefighter Alliance.

According to Victorian Minister for Police and Emergency Services Lisa Neville, this training program will teach firefighters the skills they need while minimizing the cost of real-life training scenarios, which are also logistically demanding.

The interesting part with Flaim is that it works with a combination of wearing real firefighting equipment and the use of automated sense-perception devices which can mimic the sensory experience of being in an actual fire.

All this effort is in line with the unit’s interest in making their firefighters prepared for the task in unpredictable emergencies, without them having to risk their lives in training because, in truth, there are actual costs in acting out critical scenarios in real life as seen in many examples of firefighter training situations in the past.

Volunteer Firefighter Alliance assists Volunteer Fire Departments across the country with information campaigns, outreach programs, and recruitment programs to promote volunteer firefighting. For more updates, visit this page.