Out of the Fire and Into the High-Tech Training Center
A new Command Training Center for the Orland Fire District puts a virtual-reality spin on firefighting exercises.
Lt. Dave Piper had a decision to make. He could try to put out a ranch house fire, or an apartment building ablaze. Piper could also work on one engulfing a big box store. Battalion Chief Randy Reeder suggested Piper go after the apartment building. No, the two Orland Fire Protection District officers were not facing a cataclysm of Biblical proportions. They were safely ensconced in the district's training facility, setting up a virtual scenario. The district's new Command Training Center uses computers and theatrical effects, such as smoke machines and programmable lighting, to recreate the different dangers firefighters encounter. "This program allows our members and other departments to train on what they will see on a day-to-day basis…
