Training all East Meadow firefighters with VR headsets simulates up to 60 scenarios, offering on-demand practice, muscle-memory building and a recruitment draw for gamers

EAST MEADOW, N.Y. — The East Meadow Fire Department is the first on Long Island to begin using virtual reality for training, simulating actual scenarios like a kitchen fire, according to CBS New York.

The department plans to train all 200 volunteers with VR headsets that immerse firefighters in realistic residential fire environments, CBS New York reported.

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“We can take these younger members and immerse them in a virtual reality where they see the fire, hear the fire, hear people calling for help,” East Meadow Fire Commissioner John Priest said. “Operate a nozzle and see how it reacts to the fire.”

The virtual reality platform can run up to 60 fire scenarios with a high-pressure hose and nozzle that provide realistic force feedback, and trainees can wear a heat-feedback vest that gets hotter as the virtual fire nears, delivering realism without the risk or cost of live-burn training.

“Virtual reality will never replace real fireground experience, but those opportunities are increasingly rare,” Priest said. “The academy serves 72 departments, so we only get a few live-burn days each year.”

The virtual reality system, by contrast, is available on demand, allowing crews to train and retrain, build muscle memory and correct mistakes.

Fire officials say the system could help recruit a generation raised on video games, and the simulated scenarios translate into real-world skills.

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