A new article published in the National Fire Protection Association’s NFPA Journal delves into new augmented and virtual reality (VR) technologies that may serve as training resources for firefighters.

Used to supplement live training, these technologies allow firefighters to access a wide variety of scenarios from electric vehicle fires to oil spills, giving them the opportunity to practice their responses. Augmented and virtual reality tools offer an increased level of occupational health and safety as firefighters can die or get injured during traditional training. NFPA’s Fire Protection Research Foundation is now conducting a project funded by FEMA and DHS to evaluate the benefits of immersive learning on firefighter health, safety, and skills.

“VR is only going to become a more common part of firefighter training in the next several years,” said Sreenivasan Ranganathan, a project manager at the foundation. “We hope this research can give organizations like NFPA the data and information they need to assess this evolving technology and potentially incorporate guidance on immersive learning into codes and standards related to firefighter training.”

Read more in the NFPA Journal article: “Full Immersion.”