The Toledo (OH) Fire and Rescue Department (TFRD) recently enhanced its training capacity in the areas of mass casualty, incident command, officer development, hazardous materials response, and strategic and tactics through the acquisition of RescueSim virtual training platform technology. Deputy Chief Thomas Jaksetic advises that the new technology will also enhance tabletop and functional exercises. “Training scenarios are limited only by instructors’ imagination,” he says.
“The TFRD spent $55,600 in grant funds to deliver a one-day mass casualty full-scale exercise in September 2013,” explains Jaksetic. “RescueSim software allows us to create that same exercise and deliver critical training lessons to an unlimited number of personnel an unlimited number of times.” The RescueSim, he adds, will allow in-depth training for any conceivable incident in a safe virtual 3D environment.
The department had tested the simulator during the first quarter of this year. TFRD’s Lieutenant Victor Ellis and Captain Gregory Tillman have been trained as simulator instructors by RescueSim developer VSTEP; they will lead virtual training scenarios and exercise real-time simulator control during virtual incident training.
The RescueSim enables emergency crews to virtually train and experience a diverse range of incidents as they would in real life: assess the situation, determine the best response strategy, implement it, and then observe the consequences of their decisions and evaluate their effectiveness during post-incident assessment. Specialized RescueSim modules for incidents in ports, airports, industrial incidents, and motorway/traffic incidents are also available.
For more information about TFRD, visit www.toledofirerescue.com. Information on the RescueSim technology is www.rescuesim.com.
