World class NSW Rural Fire Service Aviation Centre of Excellence facility opens in Dubbo to train aircrews with simulators

A “world-leading” aviation centre using chopper simulators and artificial intelligence has opened in Dubbo to train firefighting crew. Here’s the latest.

A new “world-leading” building will be used to train firefighting aircrews, who will be taught how to prepare and respond to bushfire emergencies using simulators and artificial intelligence, officially opened in the state’s central west on Monday.

The $8.3 million NSW Rural Fire Service Aviation Centre of Excellence in Dubbo will be a base for specialist aerial firefighting personnel to train with four virtual reality simulators to hone their skills in a controlled helicopter and fixed-wing environment.

The two-storey facility also has 27 rooms, laundry, lounges and communal workspaces to accommodate trainees from across the state.

Emergency Services Minister Jihad Dib stated the “world-leading” facility had acknowledged the changes in aviation training over the past two decades and is using artificial intelligence to train personnel with its leading technology.

“We can prepare people as close as we can to real life scenario … we want anybody who’s going to be up there in the air to be as best trained as possible,” Mr Dib said.

RFS Commissioner Rob Rogers and Emergency Services Minister Jihad Dib. Photo: Tijana Birdjan

“I look forward to other jurisdictions coming in to be able to hone their skills to be able to learn the expertise that we have right here in NSW with our RFS.

“It makes me really happy to see that the technology has been developed in Australia, run by Australian companies, trained by

Australians and I think used particularly for Australian conditions.

NSW Rural Fire Service Aviation Centre of Excellence, Dubbo. Photo: Tijana Birdjan.

“This is another step in making sure that everybody in emergency services can have all the tools that they require to be able to do their job.”

RFS Commissioner Rob Rogers said the facility would introduce trainees to try new things in a safer environment, and would also give them the opportunity to expertise in some base level skills.

Dugald Saunders. Photo: Tijana Birdjan.

“I can see in the future as these simulators develop more and if we’ve got a particularly tricky operation … that needs to be tried the next day that you’ll end up running simulators on it to see how that would come about given the predictive condition,” Mr Rogers said.

“I think there is a huge opportunity to test things out in real time and to make sure that they’re safe and effective.”

Member for Dubbo Dugald Saunders was not invited to the opening ceremony and said the facility was funded by the former government.