The application of interactive multimedia CD-ROM technology to wildland fire safety training

Interactive multimedia technology has been utilized in the development of a CD-ROM based wildland fire safety training course, Wildland Fire – Safety on the Fireline. Interactive multimedia technology allows delivery of training to a large number of students on a consistent basis. In addition, cost savings can be achieved through reduced learning time, reduced travel, minimal use of instructors, and most of all, through retention of knowledge as a result of using multimedia. The course, Wildland Fire – Safety on the Fireline, was developed and reviewed by a national team of specialists in wildland fire behavior and wildland fire safety with the intent of reducing and/or eliminating injuries and fatalities associated with the suppression of wildland fires. Wildland Fire – Safety on the Fireline focuses on due diligence, situational awareness, entrapment survival, health, equipment, and hazards encountered when working on the fireline. Each of the four sections comprising the course is followed by a board game test in preparation for a final test that is tracked by the computer. Key words: Canada, computer applications, fire behavior, fire entrapment avoidance, firefighter fatalities, firefighter physiology, fire suppression, fire survival, personal protective equipment, risk management, safe work practices, situational awareness, wildfire case studies, wildland firefighting, wildland-urban interface.