The Study of Alternative Fire Commanders' Training Program during the COVID-19 Pandemic Situation in New Taipei City, Taiwan

In Taiwan, firefighters are responsible for transporting confirmed coronavirus cases to hospitals or epidemic prevention hotels. During the epidemic, in order to reduce the chance of cross-infection between the general public and the fire brigade, traditional collective mobilization training was limited. As a solution, this study combines a fire command course (C1) and a VR simulation for training fire station captains (VRST) and then applies the pre- and post-test evaluation approaches and the after-class questionnaire to summarize the learning effectiveness. The results show that, from a total of 244 captains that were trained, the after-training scores are significantly better when compared with the scores before training (p < 0.05, Cohen's d > 0.8). Additionally, the post-test scores collected during the epidemic (n = 158) have no significant difference compared to the ones taken before the outbreak (2019, n = 86) in terms of sizing up, decision making, and safety management. The training results are still improving. The after-class questionnaire showed that most trainees believed that VRST helped to improve their confidence as incident commanders (ICs) (mean = 4.63, top box = 66.98%), with the novice and suburban groups exhibiting more significant improvements in command ability after the training. After the pandemic, VRST can continue as a regular training method for ICs. Because of the intervention of VRST, the differences in the command experience between different IC groups can be compensated for.