VIDEO: Firefighters have a hard and often dangerous job, and training helps ensure they are able to be safe and effective while doing that work. In the winter however, this can be hard because of the cold temperatures and slick roads. To combat those challenges and improve training in the winter, the Eielson Fire Department purchased a simulator to help firefighters practice driving a truck and pumping water.
“Can’t go outside in the wintertime and train. Trucks can’t go outside because you freeze water, you freeze the piping on the trucks, they are not made for those conditions. So we went out and we looked to find ways to overcome those arctic conditions here,” said Marc Hughes, the Chief of Operations at the Eielson Fire Department.
Their solution was to purchase a simulator to help train firefighters. The simulator has four large television screens that wrap around two seats to replicate the interior of a fire truck. It isn’t just screens and a seat though.