Driver Simulator purchased for Enfield Fire Dept.

By JEFF HANOUILLE
Editor
ENFIELD – Not to be mistaken with the latest Grand Theft Auto video game, the Enfield Fire Department recently announced the grand opening of its newly purchased Driver Simulator at a press conference with Congressman Joe Courtney last Friday, March 5.
The simulator, which was purchased for $417,000 with funds awarded through the federal Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program, is something Enfield Fire Chief Edward Richards said will be used to supplement the training of fire and emergency personnel in town and the surrounding regions.
“This simulator is something that is going to go a long way in helping us mitigate our biggest liability exposure, which is the operation of emergency vehicles,” Richards said. “For someone who has not driven a 20-40 ton fire apparatus, this simulator gives that person an opportunity to put themselves in the driver seat and operate the vehicle under pressure.”
Deputy Fire Chief Paul Januszewski echoed Richards’ sentiments, saying the driver simulator is the next best training to driving a real apparatus.
“The beauty of this tool and why this tool is so important to us and so beneficial to us is we’re going to take and put firefighters in real-life situations,” Januszewski said. “We are able to very closely mirror what we encounter in real life without putting the public at risk or putting an apparatus or a cruiser at risk.”
Courtney said prior to Enfield’s acquisition, the closest simulator was located in Portland, Maine and that Enfield will be able to share the equipment with surrounding regions.
Purchased in 2008 with funds from the AFG program, the trailer with the Driver Simulator was delivered to the department in mid-February.
Inside the trailer are two simulators and a computer station which controls a wide variety of scenarios, including traffic and weather conditions.
Since 2001, the AFG has provided approximately $4 billion in grants to first-responder organizations to obtain much-needed emergency response equipment, personal protective equipment, firefighting and emergency vehicles, and training, a news release from Courtney’s office stated.