The Study of Alternative Fire Commanders’ Training Program during the COVID-19 Pandemic Situation in New Taipei City, Taiwan

Sheng-Chieh Lee, Ching-Yuan Lin and Ying-Ji Chuang
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Sheng-Chieh Lee: Department of Architecture, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 10607, Taiwan
Ching-Yuan Lin: Department of Architecture, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 10607, Taiwan
Ying-Ji Chuang: Department of Architecture, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 10607, Taiwan

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 11, 1-22

Abstract: In Taiwan, firefighters are responsible for transporting confirmed coronavirus cases to hospitals or epidemic prevention hotels. During the epidemic, in order to reduce the chance of cross-infection between the general public and the fire brigade, traditional collective mobilization training was limited. As a solution, this study combines a fire command course (C1) and a VR simulation for training fire station captains (VRST) and then applies the pre- and post-test evaluation approaches and the after-class questionnaire to summarize the learning effectiveness. The results show that, from a total of 244 captains that were trained, the after-training scores are significantly better when compared with the scores before training ( p < 0.05, Cohen’s d > 0.8). Additionally, the post-test scores collected during the epidemic ( n = 158) have no significant difference compared to the ones taken before the outbreak (2019, n = 86) in terms of sizing up, decision making, and safety management. The training results are still improving. The after-class questionnaire showed that most trainees believed that VRST helped to improve their confidence as incident commanders (ICs) (mean = 4.63, top box = 66.98%), with the novice and suburban groups exhibiting more significant improvements in command ability after the training. After the pandemic, VRST can continue as a regular training method for ICs. Because of the intervention of VRST, the differences in the command experience between different IC groups can be compensated for.

Keywords: VR projection; incident commanders; building fire; training; COVID-19 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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