Vernon becomes first US town to adopt Virtual Reality training for emergency responders

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Vernon becomes first US town to adopt Virtual Reality training for emergency responders
The town of Vernon, Connecticut has become the first town in the US to adopt a virtual reality training simulation for emergency responders. VRNA EMS System — developed by VRSim — can be used to train EMTs, paramedics, firefighters and police officers.

We’ve talked before about how the Apple Vision Pro could become a next-gen health assistant. After all, training for medical emergencies is one of the most useful potential use cases for Virtual Reality.

Emergency training in VR can be done almost anywhere and without the need for expensive props. It can also simulate a patient’s responses to certain stimuli. Something a plastic dummy could never do.


— Matthew Wallace (President and CEO of VRSim), Fox61, April 2024


Michael Purcaro, Vernon town manager, hopes the VRNA EMS System will help the town’s emergency responders sharpen their skills. Volunteer firefighter and EMT Lt. Nick Bartos says the new technology is “exciting”.

This news comes mere days after the release of Osso Health for the Vision Pro. Osso Health, which is available for free on the App Store, lets users practice complex medical surgeries in Mixed Reality.




Similar to Osso Health, the VRNA EMS System simulates various different medical emergencies. These include broken bones, bleeding and heart attacks. The VRNA EMS System guides users through the different steps they have to take to save a person’s life. Vernon High School will be introducing the VRNA EMS System into their firefighter technology course as well.

As the XR industry expands to more and more fields we’re bound to see further innovation in the medical sector. I think we might even see a day when first responders are wearing specialized AR glasses that help them assess a patient’s condition more accurately.

I suspect other communities will soon be following Vernon’s lead and adopting the VRNA EMS System or other alternatives.
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