AFD says simulators would help drivers react to a real emergency
ALBANY, GA -- The Albany Fire Department requested the City Commission’s permission to purchase driving simulators for training purposes.
Fire Chief James Carswell says firefighters take the trucks out in normal traffic, however everything changes when they are responding to an emergency. “It’s too dangerous to train for an emergency situation. We only train how to drive in regular traffic conditions. This simulator will give us the ability to do all the preliminary training up to the point, and now including an emergency response and how they react during these conditions. So it gives us one added tool that we can use to develop our employees” says Carswell.
The department says they have the $300,000 they will cost and a room at their new training center set aside specifically for the two simulators.
Currently Rome, Georgia has the only interactive driving simulation system in the entire state. The systems have the programming capabilities to train drivers on other large vehicles like school busses and garbage trucks.
Chief Carswell says simulators will benefit the entire Southwest Georgia region because other departments can use it to train their employees.
Click here for more information on the 460Fire Interactive Driving Simulation System.
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