Firefighters at the more than 38,000 fire departments across the nation are taking training to a new level by using 3-D interactive gaming technology for a new program testing their knowledge of safety protocols, proper use of personal protective equipment, and standard operating guidelines when on the fire ground.To Hell and Back III: Firefighter Interactive Simulatoris the first gaming technology ever used for firefighter training and is intended to fill the gap in how today’s younger generation of firefighters learn best. The program launced atFDIC 2008.
Firefighter interactive simulator training is the third phase of the widely acclaimedTo Hell and Backprogram series developed by the People’s Burn Foundation (PBF) and launched at FDIC in 2006 and 2007. The program series is designed to significantly impact the increasing statistics of career and volunteer firefighter deaths and burn injuries by changing complacent behaviors, raising awareness on the limitations of fire protection gear, and teaching basic situational awareness.
In this year’s phase III of the program, firefighters use the gaming technology in first person and are given dumpster, vehicle and residential fire scenarios in which they must make choices that test their fire safety and protocol knowledge. When making the choice to put on the protective mask, the firefighter’s view changes to reflect exactly how it looks fighting a fire with a mandatory mask on. Making a wrong choice in the game won’t mean life or death, but it could on the fire ground.
The training simulator is designed to reinforce what firefighters were expected to learn inTo Hell and Back IandII. Wrong selections in any scenario will prompt a pop-up tutorial telling the firefighter why they’ve made a wrong decision and giving them the option to try again. The simulator also keeps score and can be compared to other firefighters who have logged-on to the PBF website to participate.
All threeTo Hell and Backprograms are free to career and volunteer fire departments across the country and were funded with an Assistance to Firefighters Grant through the Department of Homeland Security.
More info:www.PeoplesBurnFoundation.org
