App Revolutionizes Mandatory Fire Safety Training for NHS Staff
A groundbreaking app aims to revolutionize mandatory fire safety training for National Health Service (NHS) staff, offering a transformative approach to learning essential firefighting skills in hospital settings.
The app, designed to guide users through various scenarios, including evacuation sequences, extinguisher selection, and door choices, introduces an interactive and immersive learning experience.
Developed by a team including Professor Jag Dhanda, Honorary Professor of Surgery at Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Dr Jonathan Fenn, education fellow in XR at the same institution, Paul O’Donnell, fire safety officer at Queen Victoria Hospital, and virtual reality developer Cineon VR, the app incorporates simulated scenarios featuring interactive 360-degree videos and 6 Degrees of Freedom (6DoF) virtual reality. Users can physically move and interact with objects in a digitally created 3D space.
Part of the Virtual Reality in Medicine and Surgery project led by Professor Dhanda, the app is the first of its kind to address fire safety training through extended reality (XR). Supported by funding from Health Education England (now NHS England), the app’s scenarios are based on input from the West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, which is facilitating the app’s rollout to over one million NHS colleagues in the UK.
The virtual reality app was developed using a digital twin of a ward within Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead.
Professor Dhanda highlighted the profound impact of extended reality in training healthcare workers, stating, “Virtual Reality in Medicine and Surgery believes it will help to deliver the NHS workforce plan and play a significant role in global health. This project opens the door to virtual reality for the 1.3 million NHS workers who require fire safety training annually.”
Rosie Courtney, program lead for simulation-based education and technology-enhanced learning and patient safety across the South East at NHS England, expressed support for the innovative approach, stating, “NHS England is delighted to support the innovative approaches of developing extended reality to enhance the education and training of our multi-professional workforce in what is a truly system-wide, multi-agency, and collaborative way.”
The West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, a key partner in this initiative, emphasized the immersive and collaborative nature of the project, stating, “Through an exhilarating partnership with the NHS, West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service has ushered in a new era of fire safety training, using immersive virtual reality experiences to enhance hospital fire safety for NHS staff.”
As extended and virtual reality training gains popularity, the app’s next phase involves pilot studies at Brighton and Sussex Medical School and Queen Victoria Hospital, with the aim of making this cutting-edge training mandatory for all NHS staff.
