Ready Set Rescue/Fast XR Virtual Fire & Safety Training

Why We’re Bringing FAST XR to Fire and Safety Trainers

When Ready Set Rescue Training began exploring fire extinguisher training, my first thought was, “Easy. No problem. I’ve got this.”

I’m a firefighter and a fire department training coordinator. I teach fire training. This is what I do.

Of course, at the fire department, I also have a burn tower, a mountain of equipment, and a staff that knows what they’re doing.

My original plan was simple: light some fires and teach people how to put them out.

Well, insurance wasn’t quite as excited about that plan as I was.

So I settled on a PowerPoint and a pressurized water extinguisher. I went out to teach my first class—and I hated it.

The information was there. The practice was there. But the experience didn’t meet my standards, and by association, it didn’t meet the Ready Set Rescue standard.

I knew we could do better.

Finding an Alternative Became a Mission

I started looking for fire extinguisher simulators. There were LED systems and virtual reality systems, and I would have been happy with either. But the financial entry point put the options I found out of reach for a business like ours.

I turned to the secondhand market. That didn’t get me very far either. Used systems were hard to find, and I suspected the purchase price had something to do with how few were available.

So, me being me, I became determined—and, by all accounts, a little consumed—with finding an alternative.

I scoured the internet until I found FAST XR.

Right away, I was impressed by the product. But what really caught my attention was the software: the environments, the interaction, and the possibilities for training.

I ordered it for Ready Set Rescue after watching just a few videos.

Before I ever had the extinguisher hardware in my hands, I had another thought: this needs to get into the hands of fire and safety trainers across the country.

I began working toward a partnership with the company behind FAST XR to make that happen.

Naturally, I Took It to the Firehouse

Like any firefighter with a new toy, I took it to work to let the crew try it.

By then, I had spent two days exploring it in my kitchen, which obviously made me a professional.

I started experimenting with the option to create my own simulation. My first run involved a small Class A fire.

After one attempt, I was apparently ready to burn the entire virtual firehouse down.

I placed Class A, B, C, and D fires throughout the simulation, along with dozens of extinguishers and hose cabinets. Before long, I was crawling, crouching, ducking, and working a hose in an S pattern.

The software kept warning me that I was too close to the fire.

I mean, that’s my job, right?

My coworkers watched me move around the room, completely immersed in a world only I could see. Naturally, they wanted a turn.

What happened next confirmed my gut instinct.

It Brought Out the Firefighter in Them

I watched experienced firefighters put on what could easily be dismissed as a “video game.”

Within minutes, they were moving through the space like firefighters. Working the hose like firefighters. Assessing conditions like firefighters.

At one point, I heard someone say, “It’s getting shitty in here.”

That was the moment for me.

They were reacting to what they saw. Their experience was showing up in their movements, their decisions, and even their language.

You can hand a professional basketball player a controller and load up NBA 2K, but that won’t make them physically play basketball.

Put them in a pickup game, though, and their instincts take over.

This was my crew’s pickup game.

That afternoon wasn’t a formal evaluation of training outcomes. It was an opportunity to explore the system. But seeing how quickly the crew engaged with it made me excited about what we could build around it.

Why This Matters to Ready Set Rescue

Our search started with a straightforward problem: how do we deliver a better fire extinguisher training experience without lighting a live fire at a client’s facility?

FAST XR gave us a new option—and opened the door to ideas beyond that first class.

For workplace training, I see an opportunity to let people practice in a simulated environment while an instructor guides the experience and connects it to their emergency procedures.

For fire and safety trainers, I see a tool worth exploring, with room to develop lessons, scenarios, and discussions around the people they teach.

And as a small business owner, I know how much accessibility matters. A training tool has to be within reach before an instructor can put it to work.

That’s why I’m proud to introduce FAST XR through Ready Set Rescue Training and work toward making it accessible to more trainers in the United States.

We’re at the beginning, and I’m excited to see what Ready Set Rescue and FAST XR can build together.

See FAST XR in action and explore the system.

— Alec Stevens
Ready Set Rescue Training