NFPA Research: VR Training for Firefighters
Authors/Institution
Fire Protection Research Foundation (FPRF) & North American Fire Training Directors (NAFTD)
- Published in: NFPA Fire Protection Research Foundation — funded by the DHS/FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Fire Prevention & Safety Program
- Focus Area: Application of immersive learning technology (VR/XR) on firefighter practical and cognitive skills, health, and safety during training
Research summary:
The NFPA Fire Protection Research Foundation didn’t just wonder whether VR belongs in firefighter training. They funded a multi-year investigation to find out.
Phase 1, the Firefighter Immersive Learning Environment (FILE) project, wrapped up in 2023. Researchers surveyed fire training academies across North America, ran focus groups with training directors, conducted a full literature review, and hosted a national summit at the Illinois Fire Service Institute. The result: a comprehensive picture of where VR stands in fire service training today, what it does well, what’s holding it back, and where the gaps are.
Phase 2, called TRAIN (Training Responders’ Awareness using Immersive Next-Generation technology), takes it further. Researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and NAFTD are now focused on practical evaluation: how do departments measure skill transfer from VR to the fireground, and what does a department need to know before investing in immersive learning technology?
"The overall TRAIN project goal is to evaluate the application of immersive learning technology training tools to enhance firefighter practical and cognitive skills, creating a positive impact on firefighter health and safety during fireground operations." - NFPA Fire Protection Research Foundation
Key findings:
- Fire training academies across North America are using immersive learning technology (ILT), but adoption is uneven, shaped by budget, department size, and instructor familiarity
- A SWOT analysis of VR in fire service training identified clear strengths: risk-free scenario repetition, broader scenario variety, and stronger trainee engagement
- Key weaknesses flagged: cost, lack of standardized evaluation tools, and uncertainty about real-world skill transfer
- Existing learner performance checklists weren’t designed with VR in mind, they don’t adequately capture whether skills learned in a headset carry over to the fireground
- TRAIN is developing a standardized evaluation tool that any fire department can use when deciding whether to invest in ILT
- A national summit brought fire service leaders and technology developers together to close the gap between what departments need and what the technology delivers
Why this matters:
When the NFPA spends years and federal grant money studying VR in firefighter training, that’s a signal. The fire service doesn’t move fast. Institutional research like this is how new tools get legitimized and immersive learning is getting there.
What FILE and TRAIN confirm is something fire departments already sense: live-fire training alone can’t cover everything. It’s expensive, physically demanding, and difficult to repeat safely. VR doesn’t replace the real thing. It fills the gaps: building cognitive skills, decision-making, and procedural memory before trainees step into a live environment.
XpertVR’s simulations were built with exactly this in mind. Every scenario we design for firefighters targets the knowledge and skills that are hardest to practice safely in the real world: structure fires, hazmat response, SCBA operation, and command decisions under pressure.
The research is catching up to what departments have been telling us for years.
Risk-free scenario repetition
Stronger cognitive skill-building
Standardized, measurable training outcomes
Source credits:
Original Project Page: Firefighter Immersive Learning Environment — NFPA Fire Protection Research Foundation: Firefighter Immersive Learning Environment Article
Funded by: DHS/FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program — Award No. EMW-2020-FP-00866 (Phase 1)
Research Authors (Phase 2/TRAIN): Dr. Katelynn Kapalo (University of Nebraska Medical Center), Ken Willette (NAFTD), Casey Grant (DSRAE, LLC)