VIDEO: First responders have used virtual reality to train for certain emergencies for years, but those simulations are usually limited to a screen and don’t give responders hands-on experience.
A new one-of-a-kind training center opened in Boulder, Colorado, to take virtual reality training for first responders to the next level.
“How can we do better to protect not only the public but ourselves from the dangers that we're dealing with? This is really where it's at,” said John Weaver, the assistant fire chief at the Longmont Fire Department.
This center is a joint venture by the U.S. Department of Commerce First Responder Network Authority, or FirstNet Authority, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. It combines virtual reality with real sets, props and obstacles.