– Take five steps forward, and you will find the key to getting out. 24-year-old Hågen Solbakken stands in the hallway of a simulated student dormitory in Elverum and looks wildly around him. In front of his eyes he has a pair of VR glasses. Students, together with the elderly and the demented, are in the risk group for ending up in fire accidents, according to the Midt-Hedmark fire and rescue service. Therefore, student Sigurd Isak Teppen has made a game that will prepare students for a possible escape. VR GAMES: The game aims to prepare students for a possible escape in case of fire. The goal is to get out of the building within a certain time. Photo: Private Students should test this – Knowing how to escape from a building is very important, says Teppen. Teppen is a student at Høgskolen i Innlandet. He has made the game in collaboration with teacher Kevin Tan, emergency adviser Lena Knutsen and Midt-Hedmark fire and rescue and Hedmark Fire Brigade. – I think students who have tried the game will handle a fire situation better, he says. GOT MOTIVATED: Just after Teppen was given the task of making this game, it burned in a house in Hamar. The rug says that it gave him more motivation to work with the game. Photo: Privat Teppen adds that it becomes easier to make logical and wise choices, when you have tried yourself in a similar situation virtually. – I also have a younger sister, it is important to me that she and young students become aware of fire safety, he says. VIRTUAL ACCOMMODATION: In this virtual student dormitory, students must get out as quickly as possible. Why? It’s burning in the building. Photo: Private Hågen Solbakken has recently studied himself. Now he is a fire engineer and is testing the VR game for the first time. – This is a good tool for new students who move away from home, he says. Solbakken thinks it might be a good idea for new students to try the VR game, so that they can more easily cope with a similar situation. RECENTLY TRAINED FIRE ENGINEER: Hågen Solbakken has great faith in the new game. Photo: Private The future of the fire drill? Fire engineer Anders Tremoen says that students, the elderly and the demented are at risk when it comes to fire safety. – Especially when students move away from home. They are not used to thinking about fire safety, so it is definitely something we try to keep a spotlight on. Tremoen says that through VR you can create a scenario that is almost impossible to create in reality. For a real exercise requires a lot of resources and time. – In VR, you can turn on the PC and press one button, and you’re off. It’s a great way to learn, he says. VISUAL ESCAPE: Fire engineer Tremoen explains that practice through VR glasses is ingenious. Photo: Private I think the Tremoen game is very realistic. – I have tried my hand a little myself, and since Isak is based on a real dormitory that is located here in Elverum, it will be very real, says Tremoen. For emergency preparedness advisers at Høgskolen i Innlandet, it has been very important to have a close collaboration with the fire service right from the idea came. – When making such a type of game, it is crucial that the academic is in place for it to be defensible. We wanted to offer students a way to practice firefighting in a slightly simpler, virtual way, says Lena Knutsen. EMERGENCY ADVISOR: Lena Knutsen can tell that cooperation has been good throughout the process. – We look forward to having the game on our emergency days, where students can see, learn and not least try, she says. Photo: Selene Fjellvang Lie / news – When the students return in the autumn, we have a strong threat that this game can help to raise awareness of how important it is to think about fire protection, she adds. Sigurd Isak Teppen says that he is happy with the game as it is today. But that he thinks it can reach new heights with some tweaks.
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Students exposed to fire, new VR game will prepare students – news Innlandet – Local news, TV and radio
