Computer-based instruction for the fire services

Firefighters and paramedics in the fire services offer an excellent audience for computer-based instruction (CBI). They are on call for fixed amounts of time, some of which is available for self-paced study. These individuals also must take many hours of mandated courses (e.g. on blood borne pathogens) for which they meet in classrooms and are not available for their regular jobs. Many mandated courses could be covered by CBI at fire stations for substantial savings. Only limited CBI materials for the fire services have reached the commercial market. To meet this need, we are developing a series of CBI packages and testing them working with major fire departments in the Central Florida area. The programs described are: (1) “Spanish for Public Safety” an interactive program for PCs which uses digitized voice recordings to provide instruction in key Spanish language phrases useful for public safety personnel; (2) “Positive Pressure Ventilation” (PPV) a simulation to educate firefighters about PPV techniques; (3) “Fire Command Operations”-a PC-based simulation which offers dynamic interaction and positive feedback; (4) “Fire Departments Lessons Learned”-a database program which catalogs critical incidents; and (5) the “Situational Awareness Training System” (SATS) which provides training for small and mid-sized fire emergencies