MOLINE, Ill. — Moline Fire Department has a new way to simulate a fire in any room and practice putting it out.
The department purchased the FiAR training system, a device that uses augmented reality to test the user on operating a fire extinguisher properly.
The device is a touch screen and mock fire extinguisher, which can place items like a grill, wooden pallets or a car into an environment and simulate different types of fires.
"Flammable metals, oils, fats, it lets us practice putting all those types of fires out with those different extinguishers," Moline fire inspector Kevin Sorby said.
FiAR grades the user on whether the right fire extinguisher was used, and the proper technique applied. "There's a saying, it's PASS — pull, aim, squeeze, sweep," Sorby explained. "It's really important that you remember, pull that pin, aim at the base of the fire, and sweep back and forth."
It also simulates when things go wrong, like using water to fight a grease fire. In the test run shown to News 8, the fire made a burst upwards when water was applied to the grease fire before FiAR gave a failing grade on the test.
Sorel said the device is safer than training with real fires and they can take it anywhere. "For example, if we go down to city hall, we can use their offices and light a copy machine in augmented reality on fire, so people can train putting fires out in their workplace," he said.
The department wants to bring this training to parts of the community to educate people on how to use fire extinguishers. "So places like schools, assisted living facility, hospitals, stuff like that," he said.
According to the manufacturer's website, the device costs $13,000 CAD, which is about $9,500 USD.