FORT LEE, Va. " (May 26, 2011) A new Army safety training program earned rave reviews here Tuesday during a special presentation at the Aerial Delivery and Field Services Department auditorium.
About 50 Fort Lee Soldiers attended the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command-sponsored event. The assembly included company commanders, first sergeants, platoon leaders and other staffers.
The safety presentation, titled “Off Duty, On Guard,” combines video vignettes and innovative software called “VEILS” (Virtual Experience Immersive Learning Simulation) to allow the audience to actively participate in the training. “Basically, the viewer selects a character from one of the video segments, and he or she becomes that person,” explained Charles Betoney, the project manager from the TRADOC Safety Office at Fort Monroe.
“That’s the real power of this thing,” he added. “You’re part of the story and you control what happens. It’s goes beyond a cognitive experience " it elicits emotion and a sense of personal involvement.”
In the opening segment of the video-based program, the on-screen narrator emphasizes the importance of managing risk and making the right decisions while off duty. The viewer takes over from there by first selecting one of the two training modules. “Full Throttle” addresses personally owned vehicle, motorcycle and all-terrain vehicle hazards with themes that include driving while intoxicated, peer pressure and pedestrian safety. “Beyond the Waterfront” explores boating and water safety with emphasis on composite risk management, recreational drinking, peer leadership and combating stress-related issues.
Next, the viewer chooses a character from one of the modules and the virtual experience begins. As the storyline unfolds, viewers make choices " take a drink or stay sober, speed up or slow down, succumb to peer pressure or protect yourself and your friends " and the characters on the screen act accordingly. The program reinforces the positive outcomes of safe decisions and depicts the often tragic and horrific results of unsafe decisions.
“It’s not boring or preachy,” Betoney said. “It’s the viewer making decisions and experiencing the consequences good or bad. It truly is an immersive learning simulation.”
The power of the program also can be attributed to the believability of the storyline and characters. The vignettes are based on actual accident accounts.
“We knew the success of this project depended on the reality of the experience,” said Sharon Sloane, president and CEO of WILL Interactive, the civilian agency that produced “Off Duty, On Guard.” The company holds the patent for the VEILS software and has won multiple awards for its corporate training, educational and distance learning products.
“We did a lot of market research to make sure this product had the look and feel of what a Soldier might actually experience off duty,” Sloane said. “While the characters in the presentation are actors, Soldiers were involved in the filming process and they brought us back in line if a scene or the dialogue strayed too far from reality.
“It had to feel natural as well,” she continued. “It was important to incorporate some humorous moments and individual arguments because that’s real and believable. It adds to the sense of being in the story because the viewer can imagine himself or one of his friends saying those same words.”
Judging by the reaction of the audience during the screening on Tuesday, all that attention to detail paid off in a big way.
“It’s a great video with a lot of good information,” commented Sgt. 1st Class Shan Willis, a platoon sergeant from the 508th Transportation Company. “There’s no doubt that the interactive part of it will be way more effective than a mundane, boring safety talk. I think it’s going to have a big impact on off-duty accident prevention.”
Spc. Marcus Singleton, a human resource specialist from Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 23rd Quartermaster Brigade offered a similar review. “What an eye-opener,” he said. “It really makes you think when you watch this and realize how easy it is to create a situation where an accident is likely to occur. It’s very powerful.
“Another element I found interesting is the ability to choose the wrong decisions and see what happens,” he added. “All of us know the right decisions, but we never really consider the opposite side of it until it’s too late. This is an opportunity to see that part of it and realize how serious it is. I think they did a great job with it.”
In addition to Soldiers, this new safety training tool is appropriate for other services, government civilians and family members, Betoney noted. The new training program can be accessed online at www.tradoc.army.mil/offdutyonguard or https://safety.army.mil (click on the “Off Duty, On Guard” image at the bottom of the page).
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