Emergency fire training in virtual environments: effect of immersion and interaction.

According to statistics, during 2016 there were almost a million of structure fires worldwide. As part of the effort in responding to these kinds of emergency situation, training programs for staff and personnel are usually organized. However, training programs might not always be received the level of motivation that makes the resource investment worthwhile and effective. In recent years, Virtual Reality (VR) has been proposed to be an enticing, versatile and relatively affordable training tool. VR allows to re-create risky situations in a safe, controlled, realistic environment where the user can experience and practice proper behaviors. However, only a few studies have been published in which the effectiveness of VR training is assessed and compared with other training formats. In this study, we compare different formats of a training program to teach how to extinguish different office-related fires. Formats vary in their levels of immersion (Imm) and/or interaction (Int): immersive VR (high Imm and Int), 360° video (high Imm, low Int), desktop simulation (Int, low Imm), desktop video (low Imm, no Int) and paper-based material (no Imm, no Int). Their performance in terms of knowledge acquisition and sustained motivation have been measured via both quantitative (answers accuracy, reaction time, questionnaires) and qualitative (interviews) methods. Furthermore, a fifteenday follow-up has been run to verify the long-term efficacy of the training. Results show that immersion and interaction are important variables in training and learning, highlighting when and how it is recommended to invest in virtual systems for emergency training.