FAAC News

  We already know that simulator training is excellent for introducing novice operators to large commercial and transit vehicles. But is every driving simulator equally suited to training basic skills? In 2010 researchers took a detailed look at the training of 100 large vehicle operators. (This work was ultimately published in 2011 in the journal … Continued

  Advances in simulator training technology have made it possible to overcome the roadblocks that regularly prevent adults from truly mastering new and complex skills. In 1980 Stuart and Hubert Dreyfus—working at the University of California, Berkeley and supported by the U.S. Air Force—formulated the “Dreyfus Model” of Adult Skills Acquisition. They sought to analyze … Continued

  It’s amazing how much traction “de-escalation” training has received lately. Unfortunately, modern policing is too focused on what we do “at the scene” in dealing with a critical incident.   We all know that true “de-escalation” starts way before we arrive on the scene. “De-escalation” for police must begin in the locker room, as … Continued

  FAAC’s fire truck driver training simulator supports simple-to-complex, individual and team training. The levels of this platform’s-based training are increasingly diverse and challenging, and broadly range from basic driving skills, through emergency response scenarios and then up to a higher level of emergency response scenarios occurring with critical incidents and taking place “on the … Continued

  Public transport simulation technology isn’t a solution by itself—it’s a tool for extending and supercharging your entire training program. But like any powerful, complex (and expensive!) tool, an organization cannot get the most out of it if no one takes “ownership” of that tool. Billy Cameron has spent his career in transit. Over the … Continued

  This is not our last pandemic. Even with viable vaccines beginning to reach people, COVID itself will be with us for a long time, as will similarly infectious diseases. Fortunately, simulator training technology helps transit agencies reduce a spectrum of risks—not just those that pop up behind the wheel. COVID hasn’t just complicated mass … Continued

  Bus during training programs that rely on traditional closed-course driving can struggle to truly test operators’ situational and hazard awareness. Fortunately, these are areas where “permission to fail” simulation training is known to shine.   Simulation Supported Bus Driver Training in Champaign-Urbana Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District (MTD) in Illinois has been using FAAC bus … Continued

  We’re too hung up on being right—that’s the conclusion of a 2017 article in Annual Review of Psychology: “Although error avoidance during learning appears to be the rule in American classrooms, laboratory studies suggest that it may be a counterproductive strategy.” Reviewing more than 60 years of academic literature, Janet Metcalfe (a psychology professor … Continued

  Max Verstappen isn’t even old enough to rent a car in the United States, but he’s a remarkably distinguished auto racer: Verstappen is the youngest driver to compete in Formula One (F1) racing, the youngest driver to lead a lap during a Formula One Grand Prix, the youngest driver to set the fastest lap … Continued

  FAAC upgrades its incident management simulator, inCommand, with the state-of-the-art XVR Simulation Platform Leading simulation manufacturer FAAC Incorporated (Ann Arbor, MI) has teamed up with the world leader in emergency response simulation training, XVR Simulation (the Netherlands). Together, they introduce the most immersive and realistic incident management simulation training platform available to US Fire … Continued