Published: July 31, 2007

ASHLAND — A fire engine barrels down a city street, racing toward the scene of a blaze.

A female pedestrian, apparently oblivious to the truck’s blaring siren, steps off a curb and starts walking across the street in front of it.

Sounds like a serious accident waiting to happen? In real life, probably.

But, this was virtual reality.

The above-described scenario is one of many that can be played out on the Kentucky Fire Commission’s driving simulators, which provide remarkably authentic recreations of what’s it like behind the wheel of various types of emergency vehicles.

The commission purchased the three simulators this past fall from FAAC Inc. of Ann Arbor, Mich. Two of the devices are designed to train drivers for fire trucks, including pumpers, tenders and aerial trucks, said Mark Hammond, regional fire and rescue training coordinator with the Kentucky Community and Technical College Systems.

A third device is used to simulate the operation of smaller emergency response vehicles, such as ambulances and chief’s cars. It also can be used to teach volunteer firefighters how to safely operate their personal vehicles when responding to an emergency, Hammond said.

The simulation stations, which are housed within a large truck trailer so they can be hauled to fire departments all over the state, are in northeastern Kentucky for the first time this week.

During its three-day stay here, the trailer will be based at the Ashland Central Fire Station. Stops in Greenup and Carter counties also are planned, Hammond said.

According to Hammond, the simulators are not intended to replace actual hands-on driver training. However, they do allow drivers to brush up on critical skills “in areas where accidents are most common,” he said.

And, they allow that to take place without the expense of fuel, and without wear and tear on costly fire apparatus, he said.

Other states that have used simulators for training purposes have reported drastic reductions in their numbers of traffic accidents involving emergency vehicles, Hammond said.

“Getting to or from the fire is one of the most dangerous aspects to being a firefighter,” said Ronnie Day, executive director of the Kentucky Fire Commission. “More people are injured or killed in driving accidents involving fire trucks than fighting fires. It only makes sense that we do everything we can to reduce those driving accidents.”

The devices allow the trainers to simulate a wide variety of weather conditions — including rain and snow — and traffic levels, Hammond said. Trainers also can place students in settings ranging from twisty rural roads to crowded urban streets.

The fire truck simulators feature custom three-degree-of-motion systems, which allows students to not only see the virtual world in which they’re operating, but to feel the effects that different driving conditions have on the vehicles — up to and including the surging effect of water in the tanker trucks.

Ashland Fire Chief David Sloan said he was happy to have the mobile training station at his firehouse. He said all members of the department would take turns on the simulators during its stay there.

“It’s a great tool,” he said. “You just can’t get this type of training out on the streets.”

KENNETH HART can be reached at khart@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2654.