The Stevens Point Fire Department is now using augmented reality to show the importance of fire safety in a way previously not possible. Augmented reality is an interactive experience where real-world environments are enhanced by computer-generated content.
The new augmented reality fire extinguisher training allows users to see what it would be like to extinguish a fire without the presence of actual flames.
“They’re seeing their actual office, their actual factory floor or their actual kitchen. They’re seeing whatever is through the iPad camera. While there’s no live fire, with this prop I think that it’s really going to get people used to what they might see in the actual environment,” Drew Egan the fire marshal for the Stevens Point Fire Department said.
The learning tool utilizes an iPad, an empty fire extinguisher, and QR codes. Through the screen, participants see items on fire and can practice how to put the fire out. Egan calls this the PASS method, which stands for pull the pin, aim, squeeze, and sweep.