Introduction:
Fire and Safety Australia (FSA) is a renowned safety training and emergency response services provider in Australia. With a nationwide presence and a team of over 100 professionals, FSA trains approximately 40,000 individuals annually. Their comprehensive range of courses caters to both the general public and corporate clients, ensuring workplace safety across various industries. In addition to safety training, FSA also offers emergency response and medical staffing solutions, deploying nurses and paramedics to remote areas and serving leading mining, oil, gas, and construction sites.
Challenges:
FSA first became aware of the FLAIM system through its use in training Victorian firefighters by the Country Fire Authority (CFA). The initial challenge FSA faced was providing fire training to participants without access to live fire training facilities. FLAIM Trainer offered a solution by enabling FSA to create realistic fire scenarios in a controlled and safe virtual environment, enhancing the training experience for participants. This tool allowed FSA trainers to diversify the training program and provide learners with a memorable and engaging experience.
Implementing FLAIM Trainer:
An extensive implementation process was followed to integrate the FLAIM Trainer into FSA’s training programs. The team at FSA carefully evaluated how the system could fit into its existing scope and assessed its effectiveness in delivering courses. Internal rollout and feedback from FSA’s trainers were crucial in ensuring the system met their requirements. Once the team was satisfied with the system’s performance, it was introduced to clients, expanding its impact on training programs.
Unique Solution:
FLAIM Trainer marked a significant investment for FSA, aligning with their commitment to innovative and memorable training experiences. This virtual reality equipment offered realistic firefighting and fire extinguisher training, providing an immersive VR experience for learners. Including actual extinguishers, firefighting branches with force feedback, a BA demand valve, and a heat suit further enhanced the realism. FSA also anticipated utilising this equipment for their Medical and Emergency Response Services (MERS) contracts, allowing their personnel to maintain fire training skills.
“Our research into the FLAIM product showed that others on the market did not have the capacity to simulate the types of situations that our training dictates. This was the most realistic experience we have seen outside of a live fire situation.”- Steve McLeod, CEO of Fire and Safety Australia
Overcoming Roadblocks:
While implementing FLAIM Trainer, FSA faced challenges due to lockdowns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in the eastern states of Australia. Limited contact required FSA to adapt its training programs to incorporate written materials and video tutorials. “The FLAIM team was instrumental in providing support tailored to FSA’s specific needs during these challenging times, ensuring a smooth implementation process.”, says McLeod.
Success and Impact:
Since incorporating FLAIM Trainer into their training programs, FSA has successfully utilised the system across all business areas throughout Australia. It has provided training courses to a broad group of participants from office buildings in Melbourne to remote mine sites in Western Australia. Everything without the need for extensive set-up and permit requirements. “It also allows us to ensure that in places where water is in short supply, we are not utilising a precious resource,” addsMcLeod.
The feedback from FSA’s staff has been overwhelmingly positive, highlighting the ease of use and the enhanced experience provided by the FLAIM Trainer. Clients have also expressed their appreciation for the ability to practice extreme situations in a controlled environment, facilitating learning and knowledge exchange.
Financial and Productivity Benefits:
FLAIM Trainer has allowed FSA to reach a broader range of participants, from office staff in Melbourne to personnel in remote mining sites in Western Australia. FSA has saved time and resources by eliminating the need for extensive setup and permits associated with live fire training. Additionally, in regions where water scarcity is a concern, the virtual training system ensures the responsible use of this precious resource.
Client Testimonial:
“Fire and Safety Australia has found FLAIM Trainer and Extinguisher to be valuable assets to our business. These innovative tools have seamlessly integrated into our training programs, providing an adaptable and enhanced training experience. Our staff and clients are highly satisfied with the system, and we have plans to expand its usage across all aspects of our business. I started FSA with the view to forever change safety in the world… one experience at the time. We have thirst for improvement, and we are constantly looking for ways to deliver our training in a new and innovative way.
This virtual reality equipment is a significant investment to ensure that our training meets our core value of being memorable. This investment provides realistic virtual reality firefighting and fire extinguisher training. It can provide our learners with an immersive VR experience that we believe is a significant step change in our training capability. The fire training kit provides actual extinguishers/firefighting branches to increase realism, and the fire trainer kit includes a BA demand valve, as well as a heat suit (that provides the user with exposure to higher temperatures when fighting simulated VR fires). We also expect that this equipment will cycle through our MERS contracts so that our ESO’s can also maintain skills in fire training. This equipment is not a replacement for hot fire training, instead it is designed to supplement hot fire training and allow more dangerous/hazardous situations to be experienced by our learners and MERS personnel.” – Steve McLeod, CEO of Fire and Safety Australia
Conclusion:
By adopting FLAIM Trainer, Fire and Safety Australia has revolutionised its safety training programs, enabling them to deliver realistic and engaging experiences to a wide range of participants. The immersive virtual reality provided by FLAIM Trainer has enhanced the effectiveness and efficiency of FSA’s training, contributing to their mission of keeping Australians safe in their workplaces. With a dedicated team and ongoing support from FLAIM, FSA is poised to continue making a lasting impact on safety training across Australia.
