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MPRI Equips Local Minnesota Fire and Police Departments with FireSim Driver Training Simulator

Emergency Response Teams Join Forces to Improve Collaboration, Service and Safety

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - MPRI, a global leader in simulator products, services and turnkey training facilities, today announced it has sold a FireSim driver training simulator to the Spring Lake Park - Blaine - Mounds View (SBM) Fire Department and their respective Police Departments, all located outside Minneapolis, Minn. The simulator is equipped with two interchangeable cores to provide life-like simulations for both a police cruiser sedan and a fire truck. The system will improve collaboration, service and safety among the departments, and this sale marks the first time fire and police departments have combined forces to purchase a joint training simulator from MPRI.

"The FireSim offers great flexibility for the various training needs of our firefighters and local police officers," said Nyle Zikmund, fire chief, SBM Fire Department. "With MPRI, we were able to purchase one simulator with two interchangeable cores, providing invaluable training to both departments while enjoying significant cost savings."

SBM's FireSim driver simulator features interchangeable fire and police training cores. Each includes a seat, peddles, dash, brakes and steering wheel to provide trainees with the look and feel of their actual vehicles. The cores are easily swapped and quickly adapt to individual departmental training needs. The realistic driving scenarios, displayed on a three-channel plasma screen, train drivers to effectively anticipate and respond to hazardous driving conditions in a risk-free, controlled environment, improving decision-making and response time. In instances of collision-avoidance or tire blows, the force-loaded steering provides real-time feedback to augment muscle memory. And the SimCommander allows instructors complete control of the training exercises via a touch screen at the Operators Console. Each scenario can be individually recorded, which allows instructors and trainees to review, analyze and then learn proper techniques and responses. This results in a reduction in accidents and a reinforcement of proper policy and procedure.

"More than 200 police and fire workers will be trained on this new FireSim driver simulator, each approximately five times per year," said Dave Johnson, police chief, Blaine Police Department, who was also speaking on behalf of Mike Sommer and Dave Toth, police chiefs, Mounds View and Spring Lake Park Police Departments, respectively. "The training scenarios provide real-life practice for emergency situations while minimizing damage to departmental equipment and improving the safety of our personnel."

"Our state-of-the-art simulators combine the look and feel of a real vehicle with in-depth training features for an optional learning experience," said Terry Tucker, senior vice president of MPRI. "By selecting the dual core module, SBM's fire and police personnel will benefit from improved inter-department interaction and the highest level training available on the market."

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