Tuesday, 5 July, 2022
Lilydale
Calls for more emergency services
Lilydale Show gears up for 2022
Council funds more for Pinks Reserve
A look inside wood craftsmanship
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CFA turns to tech By Mikayla van Loon Chirnside Park CFA volunteers have swapped the helmets for virtual reality (VR) headsets in a new way of training for real life scenarios. In their second session on Wednesday 29 June, both new recruits and more experienced members put their skills to the test in specialised firefighting simulations. “When we’re doing the scenarios, the layering of smoke, especially inside buildings, is very similar to what we would expect in the build up of smoke during a structure fire or something to that effect,” captain Ben Cash said. “So the advantage it has is for people who are new to doing internal firefighting, this is a really safe, calm way for them to get a bit of exposure as to what to expect in the real environment.” The CFA Victoria equipment was specially designed by Geelong company FLAIM Systems alongside Deakin University to offer an alternative to normal training drills that would still ensure key skills like risk perception could be addressed in a safe environment. Mr Cash said because winter is a relatively quiet time for the brigade, keeping members engaged in “a really fun, innovative but educational way” will also help in volunteer retention. “Given volunteerism is decreasing across the board, not just the CFA but all volunteerism sectors, we have to find ways to keep volunteering, engaging, fun, and fulfilling.” Continued page 3
Chirnside Park lieutenant Kurt Pukownik undertook a long scenario of a multi-level building fire using the hose apparatus which simulates the real Picture: MIKAYLA VAN LOON pressure of a firefighting hose. 287957
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