Cecilia Hammar Wijkmark, Ilona Heldal, & Maria-Monika Metallinou. (2021). Experiencing Immersive VR Simulation for Firefighter Skills Training. In Anouck Adrot, Rob Grace, Kathleen Moore, & Christopher W. Zobel (Eds.), ISCRAM 2021 Conference Proceedings – 18th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 913–921). Blacksburg, VA (USA): Virginia Tech.
Abstract: Virtual Reality (VR) technology has gained interest for training in many domains, including firefighter education and training. However, there is hesitation in accepting immersive VR technology, especially for skills training. This paper examines the results from a field study investigating how first-time users experience immersive VR comparing with hot fire live simulation (HF-LS) training, a training involving several human senses. This study included nineteen firefighter students, eight instructors, and seven experienced firefighters using a VR technology simulating fire, smoke, heat, and via haptic feedback hose and pressure experiences. Data investigating user experiences were collected through questionnaires and observations. The results show that experienced firefighters valued the training using this VR technology higher than students. Further findings illustrate a difference between different user groups regarding expectations on the realism of simulated representations. For example, the visual realism of the smoke and the fire was more appreciated by experienced firefighters than students and instructors.
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Ilona Heldal, & Cecilia Hammar Wijkmark. (2017). Simulations and Serious Games for Firefighter Training: Users' Perspective. In eds Aurélie Montarnal Matthieu Lauras Chihab Hanachi F. B. Tina Comes (Ed.), Proceedings of the 14th International Conference on Informatin Systems for Crisis Response And Management (pp. 868–878). Albi, France: Iscram.
Abstract: Simulation and serious games (SSG) are advocated as promising technologies supporting training in emergency management (EM). Based on an investigation of SSG use for fire fighter training in nine countries, this paper is examining key elements and success factors that can counteract potential obstacles and challenges of SSG implementation. Data comes from interviews and observations with users and responsible managers from user organizations. By contrasting the different incentives and views regarding the SSG use, this paper contributes to a better understanding of SSG integration into organizational practices. Only by connecting the local, organizational strategies and user requirements with technical values and concrete examples can the SSG usage be experienced as successful. This connection requirement is by far not obvious since values are formulated differently by the main stakeholders and the benefits at one organization are not necessarily the same as at another. In this context, the added values of SSG solutions need to be more explicitly connected to the goals of traditional classroom and live training.
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Florent Castagnino. (2019). What can we learn from a crisis management exercise ? Trusting social media in a french firefighters' department. In Z. Franco, J. J. González, & J. H. Canós (Eds.), Proceedings of the 16th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response And Management. Valencia, Spain: Iscram.
Abstract: This paper sets out the methodology and the temporary results of an ongoing research project on the use of social media in crisis management (in France). It discusses the benefits and limits to use an emergency crisis exercise for research purposes. It describes an observation protocol and a coding method that could be replicate to survey further exercises. Some possible processing of the observation data is exposed, and further visualizations of the data are still in progress. One of the first analytical results tackles the way Var?s firefighters consider social media information. For now, social media seem to be regarded as questionable because they do not easily fit into the organizational routine. At the same time, the awareness of the need to use social media is quite strong. On the analytical level, the paper tries to use sociological concepts to describe and explain some results.
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Toshihiro Osaragi, & Noriaki Hirokawa. (2019). Simulation Analysis of Fire Hydrant Usability Levels after Large Earthquake. In Z. Franco, J. J. González, & J. H. Canós (Eds.), Proceedings of the 16th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response And Management. Valencia, Spain: Iscram.
Abstract: Since large earthquakes can disrupt water supply networks, it is essential to gain an understanding of the expected
usability of fire hydrants in post-quake firefighting activities. In this study, data about water supply networks was
collected and a water outage simulation model was constructed in order to predict the likelihood that individual
fire hydrants would become unusable in the wake of a large earthquake. The water outage simulation model was
integrated with a previously developed urban zone damage simulation and a fire department activity simulation
in order to carry out a simulation-based analysis of the 23 wards of Tokyo, after which a quantitative analysis of
the relation-ship between use of fire hydrants and the number of buildings lost to fire was performed. This analysis
revealed the benefits of hardening water lines against earthquakes, fire hydrant usage variations depending on
locality, and the benefits of using water pressure sensors to identify usable fire hydrants.
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Gilbert Huber, Angela Righi, José Orlando Gomes, Paulo Victor Rodrigues de Carvalho, Caio Lemos, & Kézia Emydgio. (2016). Firefighting emergency response exercise ? an analysis of standardization and resilience. In A. Tapia, P. Antunes, V.A. Bañuls, K. Moore, & J. Porto (Eds.), ISCRAM 2016 Conference Proceedings ? 13th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management. Rio de Janeiro, Brasil: Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.
Abstract: This work aims to analyse an emergency response tabletop simulation exercise undertaken as part of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) State?s Fire Department?s officer training program and conducted at Rio de Janeiro State?s Command and Control Center (CICC). Eleven groups of three officers acting as one played the roles of unit commanders. The exercise concerned the use of a set of SOPs and our research sought to identify sources of resilience and brittleness. From an initial scenario, the inserts escalated the action so as to require the commanders? responses to exercise 12 different SOPs, many simultaneously. This provided the context for the simulation´s main goal, which was to exercise and verify the knowledge, use, and suitability of the procedure related to the management of operational events of larger scale, duration, or complexity. Data collection and analysis followed cognitive task analysis methodology and included audio and video recording of the simulation and parts of its two preparation workshops. The simulated exercise showed the relationship between standardization and resilience. Not all of the expected SOPs set were utilized, in part due to the exercise design, in part due to gaps in participants? knowledge of SOPs, and in part due to acknowledged limitations of SOPs to deal with all cases real world contexts. This need for adaptation is an aspect increasingly present in complex systems, such as the one studied here, as the unexpected variability arising from the interaction between the many different elements that compose them can exceed the capacity of the SOPs to deal with it. Knowledge and analysis of the need for adaptation can contribute on different fronts: (i) better training for more conscious and safer recognition, planning and implementation of adjustments; (ii) the design or reformulation of SOPs better able to deal with real activity by considering aspects revealed by brittleness; and (iii) artefacts design to support these demands for recognition and enforcement, ensuring increasingly resilient, efficient and secure systems.
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