The main objectives of the CB-Safe project were to enhance the skills, safety knowledge, and safety attitudes of individuals crossing the border, produce safety information material, create a virtual learning platform for rescue services, and deepen the cooperation between the Finnish authorities in the border area.
One goal was to create a virtual training platform for rescue services. The platform was named VR-HYPO (virtual training environment for operational decision-making of rescue services). The platform simulates risk and accident situations in the Saimaa canal and its surroundings. The virtual training environment is based on accident scripts, where decision-making related to risk and accident situations and the use of resources can be practiced with the help of gamification. The goal was to modernize the performance management of the rescue departments and pilot the functionality of the virtual training environment.
The implementation of the VR game environment was done with the Unity 3D game engine and the Photon PUN 2 and Photon Voice 2 programs were chosen for the implementation of the multiplayer environment. This software enabled a multi-game environment where rescue personnel working at different fire stations can participate in a training simulation using a VR-compatible computer and VR glasses. . It was especially important to make the rescue personnel’s actions correspond to the real situation. For example, communication is mainly done by talking, using the Virve virtual phone.
The virtual platform is used to develop the performance and competence of rescue authorities. From the point of view of society, the results can be seen in the improvement of risk management and safety in the environments of emergency services. The virtual platform enables training in complex situations, for example, the Saimaa canal, where training opportunities are otherwise limited, and the combined result of this is enhanced service response in demanding accident situations. A similar digital learning platform has not been created before. The possibilities for the further development of the virtual learning platform in the rescue industry are limitless.
View this project in keep.eu
