Augmenting Fire Fighter Training With Virtual Reality Technology

Current fire fighting training methods are possibly lacking maximum effectiveness due to increasing safety and environmental regulation. Additionally, performance measurement in large classes becomes difficult unless trainees have identical training scenarios and evaluations. This proposal details the analysis of current training methods and subsequent emulation of them using virtual reality (VR). Phase I will consist of a study of training methods used at Goodfellow AFB's Fire School followed with an intense design and analysis of a VR fire fighter trainer to be used in live fireground training augmentation. The six-month project will conclude with a final report recommending training fire scenarios, interactive trainer interfaces and measurement tools, hardware platforms and a preliminary design for VR fire fighter trainer to be developed in Phase II. Technical feasibility and assessment of operational accuracy will also be investigated and document.