Utilizing Virtual Reality for Wildfire Evacuation Training

TL;DR

The paper addresses the rising risk of wildfires and the need for public evacuation preparedness by exploring a virtual reality (VR) approach to pre-evacuation training. It describes designing a time-constrained packing task within a VR environment, informed by interviews and pilot tests, and compares VR to a mobile version to assess immersion and potential behavior change. The findings suggest VR provides superior immersion and realism, highlighting design considerations such as cybersickness, movement mechanics, and hardware constraints, while emphasizing the need for longitudinal studies to evaluate real-world impact. The work demonstrates VR's potential as a scalable, engaging method for disaster preparedness training and discusses extensions to other hazards like hurricanes, with implications for community resilience and emergency response integration.

Abstract

The risk of loss of lives and property damage has increased all around the world in recent years as wildfire seasons have become longer and fires have become larger. Knowing how to prepare and evacuate safely is critical, yet it may be daunting for those who have never experienced a wildfire threat before. This paper considers the potential for utilizing virtual reality (VR) technology to prepare people for an evacuation scenario. We discuss the unique affordances of VR for this type of work, as well as the initial steps in creating a training simulation. We also explore the next steps for what a tool like this may mean for the future of evacuation preparedness training.