VirTra Inc (VTSI)

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Valentine's Day wasn't all sweetness and light in Pahrump as a low-flying helicopter thundered overhead, making the ground shake in tandem with the whirling blades and setting neighborhood dogs barking.

There were gun shots and the sound of glass breaking -- creating a virtual assault on the senses of those assembled for the public unveiling of the Nye County Sheriff's Office newly installed training simulator.

The startling sounds were only heard inside the sheriff's office and were amplified by four sub-woofers housed beneath the elevated floor of the VirTra use-of-force firearms training simulator system, which is temporarily housed inside a meeting room.

Currently configured to train deputies in a 180- degree enclosure, using three wall-sized projection screens, the system will be expanded to 360 degrees when the planned expansion of the department's evidence room is built and the system is moved.

In addition to practicing marksmanship using targets that fall when shot, deputies can experience a wide number of scenarios while surrounded by the big screens. For instance, a seemingly benign traffic stop may have a driver pull a firearm from the glove compartment or an officer may walk into a robbery in progress at a convenience store.

"The simulator gives officers experience in making judgment calls in shoot or no-shoot situations," said Sheriff Tony DeMeo. "We can do things here that we can't do on the range.

"We can emerge any deputy into any area. For instance, we can put rural deputies into city scenarios," continued DeMeo.

"We are giving our people training with an AR-15, a Mossberg 590 and a 12-gauge shotgun." A Glock .22-caliber was also used throughout the day.

Being surrounded by screens also means deputies must be aware of all the area around them. "Situational awareness is key to staying alive," said Dep. John Kakavulias.

After each scenario is run, the system is able to backtrack so trainers can evaluate how participants reacted. Hits and misses show up on the screen.

Up to six trainees can interact with each other and the screens at one time, with the trainer tracking each person's actions.

According to the deputies participating in Saturday's demonstration, they especially appreciate the feature allowing them to use their own duty weapons.

"We put a laser assembly in our own weapons," explained Dep. Mike McGrath.

The system currently supports handguns, rifles and shotguns. Deputies can easily convert their firearms to shoot at the screen with lasers and CO2 cartridges. Shots are recorded on screen for later evaluation. To add to the realism, participants can feel the recoil from their handguns and rifles.

Trainees can also tell when they've been shot by wearing the system's threat fire belt that is controlled by the trainer. It gives the wearer an electric jolt of various strengths.

Deputy James Scott, a facilitator of the demo, explained, "It is not extremely painful, but if you are wearing the belt and something happens behind you, you'll know it. It's not just a random shock. You didn't look behind you and you got shot.

"You can have a split second shock or a longer one that can bring you to your knees," Scott said.

Dale Norton, Nye County School District Assistant Superintendent, was among the civilians participating in the demonstration. He proved to be cool under fire, stopping a robber with a gun at a convenience store, but experienced an electric jolt in another scenario when his AR-15 malfunctioned and he could no longer shoot as he did not have a backup weapon. He was shot in the back by a miscreant.

The scenario stopped and a message appeared in foot high letters, saying: You have been shot.

"Yeah," said Norton. "You bet I felt the pain."

DeMeo used Norton's simulated death as a teaching moment. "This helps train our officers to keep on fighting," said DeMeo.

"If a weapon fails, use another one. You are still able to go into battle. Don't stop. Until you see the pearly gates of heaven, you are still in combat," DeMeo emphasized.

Deputy Eric Murphy, who was shot Sept. 19, 2008, during a gunfight at Terrible's Lakeside RV Park, is enthusiastic about creating that exact scenario on the VirTra system. "We've already taken the

http://www.pahrumpvalleytimes.com/2009/Feb-20-Fri-2009/news/27043024.html