Bushfire Ready with Virtual Reality

University of South Australia researchers and the SA Country Fire Service (CFS) have worked together to develop a virtual reality headset to give participants the full experience of being caught in a bushfire.

Simulating typical bushfire conditions, the technology allows participants to experience the emotional pressures of a fire, and then faces them with the decision to leave their home or stay and defend.

The headset experience is brought on based on a previous study which showed South Australian residents who lived in fire prone areas weren't always equipped with sufficient fire plans and had limited knowledge of what significant fire warnings were.

Sarah caught up with Associate Professor at The University of South Australia, Delene Weber, to find out more.

For more information or to get involved in the experiment contact Delene at delene.weber@unisa.edu.au