On June 18, the Department of Homeland Security awarded Wilson (N.C.) Fire/Rescue Services a $684,000 Fire Prevention and Safety Grant under the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program to produce an advanced training program using virtual reality software for North Carolina fire inspectors. After pilot testing, the software program will be distributed free of charge to 2,500 fire departments nationwide.

Wilson Fire/Rescue is working with the Commission on Fire Accreditation International, the International Code Council and Delmar Publishing to build the training package, which will employ “synthetic environments” for the major occupancies identified in the ICC Fire Code.

The virtual reality component of the training will be developed by Reality Response, a subsidiary of Advanced Interactive Systems Inc. AIS is a long-time provider of sophisticated training software for the military and law-enforcement communities, including “shoot/don’t shoot” immersive training used by police agencies throughout the world. AIS created the subsidiary Reality Response to speed training applications from the military and other industries to emergency responders.

The resulting software program will include generic structures and give participants the ability to learn the essentials of the ICC Fire Code, conduct fire inspections and prepare for certification as a fire inspector.

The virtual reality program will allow a fire inspector to sit at his or her desk and tour a high-occupancy building in virtual reality. Fire department members will be able to learn potential fire dangers throughout a range of different occupancies without having to physically visit the building until it’s time to conduct a real inspection.

“There is a tremendous need for firefighters to be able to adequately inspect crowded buildings such as restaurants, theaters, and places of public assembly to reduce the potential for large loss fires,” according to Chief Ron Coleman, chairman emeritus of the CFAI. “The need for this program was tragically illustrated by 2003’s Rhode Island nightclub fire that claimed 100 lives and injured 200 people.”

A nationwide panel of experts will create the curriculum and course content, which will be pilot tested in Wilson and a few other beta test sites. When complete, the training product will include a CD-ROM and instructional support materials that can be used right in the firehouse.

The software is expected to be ready for beta testing in six months and the project will be complete within a year, according to Wilson Fire Chief Don Oliver.

“It’s exciting because this is something that we’re going to be sharing with other departments,” Oliver said. “There’s going to be 2,500 copies going to other fire departments, and then it’s going to be pushed out to the states … It’s going to benefit the entire country.”

The long-range goal of the program is to enable participants to prepare for certification at a nationally recognized level and to recognize standards in a cost-effective manner, said Rob Carnahan, a retired fire chief from the Clackamas County (Ore.) fire department working as a consultant for Reality Response.

The project initially will provide computer desktop-based training, but more immersive training with large-screen projection and sensored devices are down the road, according to Reality Response.

“The software technology will provide fire agencies small and large the ability to train fire ground leaders to a national standard, erasing a common criticism leveled at the fire service by its public safety partners,” Carnahan said.

It won’t be the first time that Wilson Fire-Rescue, which serves a population of about 46,000, has been involved in the development of new technology for the fire service. In February 2000, the department embarked on a GIS development project with CFAI, Hewlett Packard and Environmental Systems Research Institute to improve planning and response capabilities for the Wilson community. The project became a national model for implementing fire department GIS systems.

Reality Response plans to develop more fire service training VR products using the same platform, according to Carnahan.

Reality Response has plans to provide generic or agency-specific environments. A city’s GIS data can be used to recreate exact replicas of structures within a community. Docks, airports and other risk areas can be readily digitized for training in virtual realty, Carnahan said.

Wilson Fire/Rescue and Reality Response plan to demonstrate an early version of the software at Fire-Rescue International Aug. 12-15 in New Orleans (look for the ESRI/Hewlett Packard booth.) For updates on the project’s status, contact Rob Carnahan at robcarnahan@verizon.net, Chief Don Oliver at doliver@wilsonnc.org or Sara Lee with CFAI at sarah@cfainet.org.

For more information about Wilson Fire/Rescue Services, visit www.wilsonnc.org/Departments/FireRescue.