VICKSBURG, Miss.— Recently, employees at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) participated in a unique training where they learned the proper way to extinguish a fire – but not in the way that you might think.
Instead of hoses and flames, team members at ERDC’s Information Technology Lab (ITL) donned virtual reality (VR) headsets to learn how to efficiently extinguish a fire virtually in a range of lifelike environments.
To make this training a reality, Jesse Haas, the training coordinator at ITL, teamed up with Nathaniel Williams, an investigator with the Vicksburg Fire Department (VFD).
Made up of ERDC’s experts in information technology, the ITL team is no stranger to virtual reality capabilities. While the VFD technology was not developed by ERDC, the fire department uses the same methods to train firefighting that ITL uses to train the warfighter, which has proven to be safer and more cost-effective.
“We have been using the VR technology for training purposes for about three years now,” said Trey Martin, associate fire chief at the VFD. “Having an interactive way to teach basic fire extinguishing skills has proven to be effective throughout our community.”
During ERDC’s training, Williams helped volunteers secure the VR headset and gloves and instructed them on the proper technique to extinguish the fire by remembering the acronym PASS – which stands for Pull, Aim, Squeeze and Sweep.
Each volunteer stepped into a different virtual reality with a different fire to face. When asked about the benefits of being able to train in a virtual environment, Williams said it’s all about learning the proper techniques in a safe environment.
“The Vicksburg Fire Department is using VR in a very practical way,” said Kelly Ervin, a computer scientist in ITL’s CAD/BIM Technology Center. “We are applying VR technology similarly, but instead of firefighting, ITL is applying it to warfighting, civil works, construction and much more.”
“I am grateful for the VFD’s willingness to spend the day in our lab discussing a vital safety topic while engaging in a fun, interactive activity,” said Jackie Pettway, acting director of ITL. “The training was a big success and even resulted in some of our team members investing in fire extinguishers for their homes.”