CFA to Roll Out Mobile Virtual Driving Simulators
The Country Fire Authority (CFA) is developing five mobile driving simulators to strengthen volunteer driver capability across Victoria, Australia. This initiative indicates the state’s emergency services’ first use of mobile simulation technology and builds on CFA’s continuing efforts to strengthen operational training.
Motum Simulation is developing simulators to enhance the current Volunteer Driving Training Program. This program has already enabled the approval of more than 1,600 heavy vehicle licences, the deployment of 10 driver training trucks, and the scheduling of over 55 driving courses across Victoria.
CFA Deputy Chief Officer for Operational Doctrine and Training, Rohan Luke, says the mobile systems will allow volunteers to experience high-risk scenarios in a controlled environment. Volunteers will practice emergency response driving with lights and sirens, operating on fire grounds, navigating hazards such as falling trees, and controlling potential rollovers in challenging off-road conditions.
The simulators will use virtual reality headsets and eye-tracking technology to create an immersive driving environment. The systems seek to help volunteers develop key skills, for example, spatial awareness, mirror-checking, and hazard perception.
Once delivered, the units will travel across the state, giving volunteers in both metropolitan and regional locations access. Trainers will introduce dynamic events in the simulated environments to assess driver responses in real time.
Initially, the simulators will replicate five types of CFA response vehicles, including both manual- and automatic-transmission models, to reflect the vehicles volunteers operate.
A sample driving simulator featuring newly developed CFA virtual reality software will be displayed at the CFA/VFBV State Championships in March 2026.
Delivery of the first two simulators is expected in June 2026, with the remaining three scheduled for delivery in October.
The $1.25 million project is funded by the Victorian Government as part of the Upskilling and Protecting Our Firefighters Program.
