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New York University (NYU) Tandon School of Engineering is
working with major U.S. urban fire departments to create game-based online
simulations to build knowledge on modern firefighting. With the use of the
system ALIVE, which stands for advanced learning through integrated visual
environments, the new firefighting offerings will include sessions on fire
dynamics, fighting fires in buildings constructed using modern lightweight
materials and training for urban high rises.
“Firefighters cannot train using live fire on a daily,
weekly or even a monthly basis—it’s impractical and too costly,” says Derek
Alkonis, director of training for the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
“However, firefighters need to understand how fires behave in structures and
how assessing fire, heat, smoke and flow path can help them make better
strategic and tactical decisions. Programs like ALIVE give us the opportunities
to make mistakes without having to suffer real-life consequences.”
NYU reports that the training will be free, interactive, and
will quickly and widely disperse accurate information to departments all across
the country. “Without this online training, dissemination of this knowledge
would be delayed, as we would have to wait for outside instructors to bring the
information to the department,” says Ulysses Seal, chief of the Bloomington,
MN, Fire Department.
An upcoming health module will center on minimizing
cardiovascular risks caused by high stress, hostile temperatures and
conditions, and heavy protective equipment. NYU reports the health module on
ALIVE will train firefighters to understand the physiological strains of their
duties, the factors that increase the risk of sudden cardiovascular events and
evidence-based measures that may lessen the likelihood of a cardiac event
during or immediately after emergencies.