Simulated Crisis

Properly trained emergency personnel are essential for the preservation of society; therefore, it is vital to provide adequate training to emergency first responders. This thesis explains various training methods alongside the fundamentals of emergency response before introducing virtual reality (VR) as a new form of training. A project that was implemented for the Zurich Police Department and involved in the creation of a VR environment served as the basis for this. The paper documents its creation process, giving insight into this type of training and the advantages it brings. While traditional training was found to still be the most effective, VR training can offer similar experiences and results for reduced costs through scalability of the medium. In its current state, VR is a supplementary tool, though with technological advances, virtual training is likely to overcome its current limitations and possibly provide an experience even closer to real training.