Firefighters in the United Kingdom are using virtual reality to practice for real-life blazes, with the technology recreating the unique challenge of the job, while reducing the time, money and health risks.
Gloucestershire’s Fire Service College in Moreton-in-Marsh is stepping into the future. With headsets and heat-generating haptic vests, their new training program implements state-of-the-art VR to train prospective firefighters.
“I believe in a blended approach – we bring the virtual world and the real world together, so we get the best of both worlds,” Paul Speight, the incident command instructor at the college, told the BBC. Speight has been with Gloucestershire’s fire service for over 30 years, but believes in embracing the change.
The college teamed up with a software company called RiVR, as well as VR headset makers HTC VIVE. Alex Harvey, co-founder and CEO of RiVR, explained that their photorealistic software was developed over four years using photogrammetry. “It is the process of taking thousands of photos of any real-world object or person – that makes a 3D model that’s indistinguishable from the real world and looks great inside virtual reality.”
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Emulating fire conditions without recreating them saves money and mitigates risk. Recruits can spend less time in actual fire situations, which is better for their lungs, as they aren’t breathing in carcinogenic smoke and toxins. Of course, there is less jeopardy, and therefore any trainees coming through Moreton-in-Marsh will be dropped in at the deep end as well.
“You can do a lot of training inside virtual reality, but you’re still going to have to do that real thing as well. We’re just cutting down the amount of repetitions done in real smoke,” Harvey continued.
Clair Mowbray, the college director, echoed this. She said the new methods were “exciting and different”, adding: “It’s definitely about blending technology like this with that practical training.”
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