Volunteer firefighters across the region will soon have access to innovative new training technology.
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A tailored virtual reality training package is currently in development, with the hope that it will be rolled out for use by the more than 30,000 of the Country Fire Authority's firefighters across the state soon.
The training will allow firefighters, including in District 15, to train for different fire scenarios without exposing them to danger.
The program is being developed by FLAIM Systems. Its FLAIM trainer and FLAIM Extinguisher are unique training systems that were developed by the Geelong-based technology company alongside Deakin University Researchers.
The company's Chief Technology Officer James Mullins, who is also a CFA volunteer, said FLAIM trainer worked in a similar way to a flight simulator used by pilots in training but was designed specifically for firefighters.
"It combines virtual reality technology with real-life industry standard equipment, such as a fire nozzle, breathing apparatus, hose reel, and automated sense-perception devices such as a fire- proximity heat suit to simulate both the visual and sensory feelings of being in a fire," he said.
"Alongside the virtual reality headset, it gives the volunteers an opportunity to participate in a growing library of different scenarios - from house fires and grass fires to aeroplane fires."
The start-up company has 18 employees but a growing customer base across 25 countries.
CFA Chief Officer, Jason Heffernan, said the organisation had been at the forefront of computer-based learning for developing operational skills and improving people's natural ability to perceive risks in the field for the past 20 years, and that it was always looking for more innovative ways to do so.
Tapping into virtual reality technology was a concept initially raised by volunteers.
[It] is a way to give volunteers a 'real-life' ability to assess their skills, without exposing them to danger
- CFA Chief Officer Jason Heffernan
"[It] is a way to give volunteers a 'real-life' ability to assess their skills, without exposing them to danger," he said.
Volunteers across Victoria have already piloted the system for six months and the feedback was "very positive", Chief Officer Heffernan said.
The CFA will work with FLAIM Systems to finalise the program by mid-2021.
It will initially purchase five FLAIM Trainer and 10 FLAIM Extinguisher systems, storing them at its State Logistics Centre.
These systems will be used for training across the state once it is rolled out across the state this year.
