Virtual reality training helps Covenant Health staff respond to fires with confidence

Lori Stenbeck, a clinical safety coordinator for Covenant Health’s Lethbridge and Medicine Hat sites, had been through countless fire drills in her 30-year career in health care. The alarms would sound, lights would flash and staff would go through the motions. But there was never any smoke, no visible flames, no sense of real urgency. That changed when she put on a virtual reality (VR) headset designed for fire training at St. Michael’s Health Centre.

“You forget about the people in the room around you,” says Lori. “It feels real — like you’re actually there. The fire catches you by complete surprise, just like it would in real life.”

Like most people, many healthcare workers have never used a fire extinguisher. The introduction of the VR Fire Trainer at Covenant Health sites aims to change that by providing realistic, hands-on training without the risks or costs of carrying out traditional fire extinguisher drills.

The VR Fire Trainer is a fully immersive training tool that simulates real-life fire scenarios in a safe and controlled environment. Using a real fire extinguisher equipped with optical sensors, trainees practice the PASS — pull, aim, squeeze and sweep — technique while responding to virtual fires in different settings, from kitchens to laundry rooms. If they don’t follow the correct steps with each fire, it continues to burn, reinforcing the importance of proper technique.  

The program also provides real-time feedback, measuring how efficiently each fire is extinguished and tracking how much smoke the user inhales, helping trainees understand the real risks of fire emergencies. Since its introduction, more than 250 staff members at multiple Covenant Health sites have undergone the VR training.

Mike Hoffman, a Covenant Health fire safety consultant who has over 35 years of experience in the fire industry, sees this training as a critical step in building muscle memory for staff.

Beyond its effectiveness in preparing staff, the VR training also offers key environmental and financial benefits, says Mike. Traditional fire extinguisher training involves using real extinguishers, which release chemicals into the air and are costly to refill. The VR system eliminates those concerns while still providing a hands-on, high-fidelity learning experience.  

Research from Fire & Safety Australia shows that over 50 per cent of people use fire extinguishers incorrectly, and fewer than 13 per cent understand that different types of fires require different extinguishing agents. The VR Fire Trainer helps bridge that knowledge gap in a way that is both sustainable and cost-effective, says Mike.

Lori played a key role in organizing the VR training sessions at St. Michael’s Health Centre. Initially, staff were hesitant, unsure of what to expect, she says. But after the first few participants came back raving about the experience, a line quickly formed at the training door. “They were telling their coworkers how real it felt,” Lori says. “It was a game-changer. Instead of just going through the motions, people were engaged, excited and — most importantly — learning.”

One of the biggest advocates for the program is Dr. Betsy Hall-Findlay, a plastic surgeon at Banff Mineral Springs Hospital who personally donated the VR Fire Trainer through the Covenant Foundation after recognizing a major gap in fire preparedness at her site.

Betsy came to this realization after learning that the wrong type of fire extinguisher had been placed in her hospital’s operating rooms. “If a fire happens in the OR and we use the wrong extinguisher, we could end up covering an open patient in chemicals,” she says. “(Learning) that was a wake-up call; it got me thinking about what else we were missing.”

Around the same time, Betsy had a VR experience while on vacation in Paris that convinced her of the technology’s power. “You actually feel like you’re there,” she says. “That’s when I realized this could work for fire training.”

While the initial roll-out at Covenant Health has been a success, Betsy hopes to see the program expand further. “This shouldn’t just be a donation-based initiative,” she says. “This should be part of every site’s standard training.”  

Lori agrees, emphasizing how much the training has resonated with staff at St. Michael’s Health Centre. “People were talking about it for days afterward,” she says. “They wanted more scenarios, more time to practice. That tells me we’re on the right path.”

As Covenant Health continues to prioritize patient and staff safety, VR fire training is proving to be more than just a technological novelty — it’s a crucial tool for preparedness, says Mike.

"This training is building confidence. Before, many staff were hesitant to even touch a fire extinguisher. Now, they know exactly what to do. And in an emergency, that confidence could make all the difference."