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Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) has announced a five-year collaboration with UNSW’s iCinema Research Centre to develop an advanced immersive bushfire visualisation system. This initiative is designed to enable firefighters and rescue personnel to engage with fire behaviour through virtual scenarios, significantly enhancing their training and preparedness.
UNSW has allocated over AU$ 35 million towards the development of multiple AI-powered immersive simulation systems. These systems, customised by researchers, will provide cutting-edge educational and training experiences for FRNSW. This project leverages extensive funding from the Australian Research Council (ARC) for creative visualisation, dating back to 2002 and including recent support through a Laureate Fellowship. The goal is to explore and simulate unpredictable fire scenarios.
As part of the partnership, UNSW will equip FRNSW with an AU$250,000 3D Immersive Cinema. This system will be installed at the FRNSW Emergency Training Academy in Orchard Hills, allowing firefighters and incident commanders to fully immerse themselves in simulated emergency situations. The iFire system will provide a realistic and interactive environment to enhance training and decision-making.
The NSW Minister for Emergency Services highlighted the innovative approach of this partnership in enhancing response training and preparedness. He emphasised that FRNSW is pioneering in the education and training sector by utilising technology to overcome geographical challenges. The immersive simulation technology places firefighters in the midst of a virtual fireground or other emergency scenarios, enabling them to develop crucial incident response skills and prepare for real-life situations.
The Vice-Chancellor and President of UNSW Sydney noted that the development of iFire and its immersive training modules would significantly benefit the skills of first responders, ultimately aiding community safety. He also emphasised the potential advancements in firefighting techniques and emergency decision-making that this frontline research could bring.
The FRNSW Commissioner remarked that the partnership solidifies FRNSW’s status as an industry leader in applied research. He highlighted the successful application of similar technology in underground mining and its potential to enhance understanding of bushfire and urban incident dangers. The immersive technology will enable FRNSW personnel to practice incident command and response for large-scale emergencies.
The iFire system builds upon existing technologies such as Data61’s SPARK simulation system and the WRF_SFIRE system. Developed by UNSW’s Scientia Professor Dennis Del Favero, an ARC Laureate Fellow and Executive Director of the iCinema Research Centre, iFire creates immersive 3D environments. The project recreates three real-world fire case studies: a pine plantation fire, a grass fire, and the unpredictable 2020 US Bridger Foothills Fire. In these scenarios, users can adjust variables such as wind speed, fuel load, and temperature to observe real-time changes in fire behaviour.
The collaboration is an extension of the award-winning iCASTS mine immersive training system, which significantly reduced serious injuries across Australian mine sites. The iCASTS system, developed with the NSW Government, mining unions, and Mines Rescue, used immersive technology to expose miners and planners to known underground threats, saving lives and reducing serious injuries by 65%.
iFire represents the next generation of immersive visualisation, powered by AI. It enables incident commanders and firefighters to engage with unforeseen fireground threats through high-fidelity real-world fire landscapes created using the UNREAL visualisation engine. By modifying environmental variables within virtual scenarios, such as temperature increases due to global warming, users can experience extreme fire conditions, thereby improving their preparedness for life-threatening situations.
Looking ahead, the iFire system aims to enable firefighters to sensorially experience potential future scenarios on any screen device from any location. This capability will, for the first time, allow firefighters to interactively anticipate, practice, and implement preparedness strategies as a team-based experience. This innovative approach aims to minimise immediate risks and optimise strategic resilience in fire response operations.
