Coral Springs' New Fire Truck Simulator Aims To Keep All Drivers Safe
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Before firefighters put out flames or arrive at an accident scene, they have to drive there and they do so with a truck weighing thousands of pounds through our busy South Florida streets.
One local fire department is now using a simulator to keep firefighters and residents safe.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that over 2,000 fire truck accidents occur throughout the country each and every year. But one south Florida fire department is making sure they lower that statistic by having their firefighters train with a simulator. The Coral Springs Fire Department is sitting in the driver's seat of a brand new fire truck simulator.
"It's able to give them scenarios they're not going to see during the driving training," Captain Mike Moser said.
Some of those scenarios are pouring rain, which is common for South Florida, and even a plane crashing into a building.
"These trucks weigh tens of thousands of pounds. They are very dangerous. They have a lot of equipment. Very heavy. That's why we like to use the simulator because it's safer," Moser said.
And the Coral Springs fire department also has the first of its kind in south Florida, a mobile simulator ready to roll out and help other firefighters train.
"We have two simulators, the one here that is stationary in our facility and another that's it a trailer that we can take out to anyone in the region in south Florida and train other departments," Moser said.
"This device has been proven in other areas to help reduce crashes whether minor or severe crashes," Moser said.
If there are fewer crashes that means less money tax payers need to spend on replacing these vital vehicles.
"If we can get our drivers of these fire trucks here in the simulator and teach them the basics, we think in the long run it'll save people a lot of money and it could save lives too," Moser said.
