SkillsTrain news
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Practical guides, industry news and stories from the field, on VR training, fire and EMS courses, the textbooks behind them and the teams who use them.
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Women holding the line: a reflection on women in fire, rescue and emergency response
A reflection for Women's Month on women in firefighting, rescue and emergency medical services, the barriers they face, and why good training access matters.
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Where to buy IFSTA, NFPA and Jones and Bartlett training books in South Africa
Where to buy IFSTA, NFPA and Jones and Bartlett fire and EMS books in South Africa, without the import headache.
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NFPA 1010 explained: do you need new fire training textbooks in 2026?
NFPA 1010 replaced several core firefighter standards. Here is what changed and which textbooks you now need.
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Online or classroom fire training: which fits your budget?
Online or classroom fire training? A practical way to decide what your budget should cover first.
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VR safety training for mines and municipalities in South Africa
How mines and municipalities in South Africa use VR to run safety training that is cheaper, safer and repeatable.
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Does VR firefighter training actually work?
Does VR firefighter training actually work? What the independent research and the fire services using it say.
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How does VR firefighter training compare to traditional methods?
VR firefighter training now matches or beats live fire drills on learning, cost and safety. Here is how the two compare, point by point.
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Behind the Western Cape floods: the heroes and hard truths of disaster response
The Western Cape floods showed extraordinary emergency response, and exposed hard gaps in training, funding and structures. A look at both.
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Innovative solution: the classroom in a box
A classroom in a box packs books, video, software and VR scenarios into one portable kit, so hands-on training goes wherever the team is.
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Is VR the future of training?
Firefighters and emergency teams strongly back VR training. Here is why immersive, portable, scenario-based learning is winning them over.
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SkillsTrain hosts the first international FLAIM Trainer webinar
SkillsTrain, FLAIM Systems and W. S. Darley hosted the first international FLAIM Trainer webinar, exploring how VR is reshaping fire training.
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We have some flaming news for you
SkillsTrain carries more than 1,000 online health, safety and emergency services courses, and the award-winning FLAIM VR firefighter trainer.
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Care givers from SkillsTrain and sponsors
SkillsTrain and its sponsors handed out 150 care packages to emergency medical staff across Johannesburg, a small thank you to frontline teams.
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Tell us what you are trying to train
SkillsTrain supplies the VR systems, online courses and books behind Fire Fighter, EMS and safety training across Southern Africa. Tell us what you are trying to train and we will point you to the right resource.
SkillsTrain distributes, supplies and supports these systems, courses and books across Southern Africa. We do not deliver or accredit the training itself, which sits with the accredited organisations that use them.