DURHAM, N.C. — The Durham Fire Department has put out almost 200 structure and house fires in the last year. The department is using a new virtual tool for a new training to help learn how to fight building fires.

What You Need To Know

  • Durham Fire Department is conducting a new training

  • The training is an online game called “Into the Flame”

  • The game is open to anyone

Communication, quick response and safety are three words Durham firefighters operate by.

To enhance safety measures, all firefighters at the 19 city fire stations must go through a new virtual training.

“It really brings that context to life. It's way better than the training that most departments are still doing, that we hopefully will not do again,” said Fire Chief Robert Zoldos.

The training is an online game called “Into the Flame,” which firefighters use as a simulator. It focuses on the intensity of being a real-life firefighter, providing them with the visuals and sounds that will be experienced.

Zoldos said that’s the benefit of this training, so command level officers can know how to handle stressful and chaotic scenes before they experience them in real life.

“It'll make our battalion chiefs even better than they are, and they'll bring our captains to a level where they feel nice and comfortable doing this,” Zoldos said.

Zoldos said it’s a two-way training.

At Durham Fire’s Station One, battalion chiefs and captains are stationed on the first floor. Their duties are to communicate, command and manage the fire while instructing others on what to do in a scenario.

“Now we can actually visualize the whole scene, which is great,” the chief said.

On the second floor are the firefighters and drivers.

Their mission is to set the scene in the training, report what is going on to the battalion chief and demonstrate rescue tactics.

Zoldos said it replicates almost any type of structure or scenario, is cost-efficient and provides repeatable scenarios, which allow for people to get better each time.

“We can do this over and over and over again and give eight evolutions today, at least,” Zoldos said.

It's trainings like this that can determine if someone lives or dies, according to Zoldos.

“Property can be lost and lives can be lost if we're not good at this,” Zoldos said.

The game’s developer has been working closely with Durham Fire to enhance the game's realistic features for the future.

The department also received invitations to provide this training at the North Carolina Fire Chiefs’ Association’s Mid-Winter Conference next year.

Durham Fire Department uses a behind the scenes model of the game, but the game is open to anyone.