SIMULATOR AND CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE TO BOOST AERIAL FIREFIGHTING The Service recently strengthened its ability to fight fires from the air with the installation of a new aviation simulator and plans to build an Aviation Centre of Excellence at the NSW RFS Training Academy in Dubbo. AVIATION TRAINING ENHANCED BY SIMULATOR
environment where their decision making can be monitored and assessed.
The NSW RFS provides training for more than 140 personnel to support aviation operations in a variety of roles including Air Attack Supervisors, Air Observers, Air Base Managers, Air Base Operators, Aircraft Officers and Air Operations Managers.
Helmet-mounted virtual reality headsets are used to simulate all types of weather and fire conditions, and enable the personnel to look in, around and out of a visual representation of a full aircraft.
The majority of personnel who perform these roles are sourced from NSW RFS volunteer members across the state who receive specialised training. The NSW RFS also facilitates aviation training for other emergency services, including the NSW SES, as well as other interstate fire services. The aviation simulator was purchased in response to recommendations from the NSW Bushfire Inquiry and installed at the NSW RFS Training Academy in Dubbo in March 2021. The simulator will allow for cost-effective training, maintaining and enhancing the skills of specialist aviation personnel in the emergency services. The simulator, built like the cockpit of a helicopter, is designed to simulate specialist aviation roles. It exposes trainees and trained aviation personnel to difficult scenarios in a controlled virtual 20 BUSH FIRE bulletin || FEATURES
The initial simulator is built on an AS350 Squirrel airframe, which is one of the most common rotary air attack platforms used by the NSW RFS. A virtual version of Firebird 200 has also been rendered within the system, and other typical NSW firefighting aircraft have been added to the aircraft library. Inspector Bernie O’Rourke from the NSW RFS Aviation team says the system has been developed and designed to simulate Air Attack Supervisor and Air Observer training, with the ability to incrementally increase training intensity. The simulator was used as part of the Air Attack Supervisor course in Dubbo in June 2021, which allowed both instructors and participants to experience this new technology. “Helmet-mounted devices simulate air traffic management and enable the instructor to alter scenarios to create new and exciting challenges