It doesn’t matter whether you work in a high-risk environment or an office full of white-collar employees—fire training is crucial. In America, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration requires employers to train their workers on how to keep themselves safe in emergencies (including fires). As part of that, employees need to be able to recognize signs of fire and know how to evacuate in this situation.
Still, committing to fire safety training in your workplace is just one piece of the puzzle. You’ll also need to think about how you prepare your workers to respond to a fire. Proper training could make the difference between life and death if a fire breaks out in your office, so it pays to find a genuinely effective fire safety training solution.
While you might assume “real-world” training on fire safety is the most effective option, that’s not necessarily the case. This training style has some surprising drawbacks, and ongoing legal changes could make it much less common in the near future. With that in mind, here’s what you should know about VR fire training and how your workplace can take advantage of this exciting new training method.
The Problem With Traditional Firefighter Training
Until recently, fire training has primarily involved showing employees what to do if a fire breaks out by lighting real fires. Even so, that doesn’t mean this is still the most effective way to teach workers about fire safety. That’s because “standard” fire safety training is plagued by:
Inherent Inefficiencies
Anyone who knows anything about workplace safety knows fire is dangerous, but that also applies to the fires you light for training purposes. These fires need to be handled in a controlled environment, meaning you’ll have to deal with timely setup processes and the need for a “perfect” location. And you won’t be the only person affected by these inconveniences—standard fire training can take up nearly an entire day for your employees.
Environmental Drawbacks
Fire is associated with severe environmental issues, including the carbon dioxide it can release into the surrounding atmosphere. Unfortunately, fire extinguishers are another source of greenhouse gases. Since “traditional” fire training relies on both lighting fires and using fire extinguishers, this training method isn’t exactly the greenest option for your organization.
Legal Issues
Due to the environmental issues described above, multiple countries (including the Netherlands) are actively working to restrict the use of fire for training purposes. Because of that, you’ll need an alternative training strategy that is just as immersive as letting your employees experience real fires.
Why Consider VR Fire Training?
As you can see, real-world fire training isn’t always the best approach for your company’s training strategy. However, your training needs to have a visceral impact for your employees to internalize it—and that’s something lectures, diagrams, and videos can’t deliver on their own.
The solution is VR fire training. While it doesn’t involve “real” fire, VR training can look and sound incredibly convincing. Because of that, the results of this training can be just as effective as lighting an actual fire—if not more so.
Among other benefits, virtual training on fire safety is:
- Convenient. Most employees won’t want to spend a whole day going through fire training, but effective alternatives were all but nonexistent until recently. VR firefighter training can allow your workers to experience fire situations firsthand while requiring minimal setup time.
- Eco-friendly. Obviously, virtual fire doesn’t release real greenhouse gases. That means VR-based fire training is 100 percent clean, allowing you to do as much training as you want without violating legal restrictions.
- Simple and straightforward. If you choose the right VR partner for your training initiative, you won’t have to do a thing to get ready for fire training. Instead, this process is as easy as turning on a “VR-in-a-box” setup and loading up the training software you need.
- Highly memorable. One of the biggest perks of any type of VR training is the level of immersion it provides—and that certainly applies to fire safety training. That immersion doesn’t just give your employees something to enjoy, either. Instead, it can have a direct and measurable impact on the efficacy of your training program.
What Your Team Can Learn from Virtual Training
Of course, the benefits of VR fire safety training depend on professionally-designed training software. At a minimum, your software of choice should cover training topics such as:
Door Procedures
Understanding the door procedures that should be followed in the event of a fire emergency is crucial. Metaverse training software can teach your employees about the importance of checking door heat, safely opening and closing doors during a fire, and preventing fire and smoke from spreading further.
Fire Extinguisher Usage
It doesn’t matter how many extinguishers your office has if your employees don’t know how to use them. By training in a virtual environment, the workers at your organization can quickly master the “PASS” (Pull, Aim, Squeeze, Sweep) method.
Other Fire Response Essentials
Along with these scenarios, VR training can help your employees learn about activating fire alarms, extinguishing fires, calling emergency services, and safely evacuating the building.
Choose OneBonsai to Revolutionize Your Fire Training
It’s not hard to see why virtual training is so popular, especially regarding high-risk occupations like firefighting. But even if you’re not in charge of a fire station, it’s wise to help your employees learn what to do in this all-too-common emergency scenario. Metaverse training is a perfect way to help workers and first responders alike prepare for this situation, all without the risks of intentionally lighting a fire in the real world.
With some help from OneBonsai, your organization won’t need to invest in its own expensive VR fleet to benefit from virtual fire safety training. Instead, our trainers can bring a VR training box to your workspace, complete with our high-quality firefighter training software. And thanks to this box’s integrated charging and Wi-Fi, you’ll be able to train your employees no matter where you are. Take the first step towards building a solid fire training strategy—reach out to OneBonsai today!
