Igniting the Future: Chapel Hill High School Revolutionises Firefighter Training

Firefighting is a high-risk profession that demands rigorous, realistic training, and yet many fire schools struggle to provide realistic training to minors due to legal and safety restrictions.

Problem

Chapel Hill High School in North Carolina, renowned for its commitment to innovative education, faced these challenges head-on. With the goal of equipping students with real-world skills for careers in public safety, the school needed a solution that allowed students to experience realistic fire training, sensing the rise in temperature, feeling the weight and pressure of a hose, coping with restricted vision and breathing, and experiencing an elevated heart rate, all within a safe environment.

State laws restrict students under 18 from experiencing live fire training. We were challenged with preparing 16 and 17-year-old students, who are limited by age and credentials, to truly feel the sensations of fire.

Solution

To overcome these obstacles, Chapel Hill High School adopted Trainer, FLAIM’s immersive firefighter training solution, in 2022. By integrating virtual reality into their curriculum, Trainer enabled students to engage with lifelike firefighting scenarios, ranging from barn and structure fires to car fires and military scenarios, without the inherent risks of live fire exercises.

“We needed a solution that captured the realism of live fire training whilst ensuring the safety of our students, and Trainer delivered on that,” said Travis. 

The system’s ability to simulate a variety of high-pressure scenarios has allowed students to build skills in a controlled, risk-free environment.

Importantly, the training isn’t just physical; it sharpens minds. “This system challenges students to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills,” added Travis. “It’s easy to put a picture on the board and have a discussion, but when there are moving parts, students sometimes get hyperfocused on the fire. Trainer encourages them to think beyond the flames to conduct a proper size-up, consider incoming resources, anticipate what they may need next, and assess the full scope of the scene.”

Results

Over the past three years, more than 60 students have benefited from Trainer’s immersive experience, supporting public education and recruitment efforts, training both students and fire departments. As an early adopter, Chapel Hill has continuously refined its training modules, keeping pace with evolving technological advancements.

The future

Building on this success, Chapel Hill High School is now upgrading to the latest generation of Trainer with the acquisition of additional units.

“Our early adoption of the upcoming Incident Command module will help students learn how to conduct an effective size-up and understand the tactics and hazards involved across different scenarios,” said Travis. “We partner with a bunch of fire departments and they’re excited to use this new system. I can only hope the ICM allows students even more opportunity to develop and refine those higher-level command and critical thinking skills.”

Chapel Hill High School’s integration of FLAIM technology has transformed its approach to public safety education. By delivering immersive, hands-on training in a safe and controlled environment, the school is setting a new benchmark for career readiness in public safety.

Want to learn more? Watch the video here.