The increase of fires is a global issue exacerbated by the climate crisis. As lands like the Calabria region in Italy become drier, wildfires are more likely to spread and release harmful pollutants as well as greenhouse gases, further contributing to the climate crisis. According to the UN the number of fires is expected to rise 50% around the world by 2100.

A large proportion of these fires are man-made. According to researchers from the University of Colorado, humans account for starting 84% of the wildfires in the USA. In 2021, Roberto Cingolani, Italy's then ecological transition minister, estimated that less than 2% of fires were caused naturally, for instance from lightning strikes. It is a particularly devastating issue in Italy, where the number of wildfires had tripled in 2021, compared with the yearly average between 2008 and 2020.

According to the study ‘A global outlook on increasing wildfire risk: Current policy situation and future pathways’, evidence points to a lack of planning policies and fire risk education in Europe and specifically in Italy. Firefighters we spoke with highlighted that one of the key issues was a lack of understanding of how quickly flames and fumes can spread, and how to tackle a fire before it spreads.

A new museum, Musea, is dedicated to the topic of fire risk education in the region, with the aim of increasing awareness about this problem. It is targeted at an audience of 6 - 16 year olds, offering class trips to local schools. In 2021, Wolf in Motion and Studio Gomma were commissioned to design an installation for one of the rooms of the museum.

Teenage Firefighters

The result of our work is Teenage Firefighters, an interactive experience intended for school children and designed to convey important information about both fire risk and firefighting in a fun manner.

While conducting research, we discovered that a video game would be a great vector to stimulate the audience, increase the comprehension of the phenomenon and boost the retention of information. However, we realised we would have a problem recreating a realistic fire fighting scenario as violence and stress in video games are unsuitable for young audiences. The few existing digital firefighter simulations have a 10-years-or-older rating because of the realism of the fire situation and the harm to people.

To make our game accessible to a wider audience, and after prototyping different ideas to combine realistic 3D and more abstract illustrations, we came up with the concept — 'save the museum and its artworks' — along with a friendly, approachable art direction. All in all, 136 museum pieces were hand-drawn and hand-painted, each representing famous paintings, sculptures and designs from all around the world. These were then scanned and turned into 2.5D paper cards that were integrated into game environments that we designed too. We built the latter directly in 3D, taking inspiration from some of the most famous museums or architectural landmarks around the world.

Up to three children can play as a firefighter at a time, using tailor-made game controllers designed to look like real fire hoses. We built custom PCBs that we integrated inside sturdy 3D printed bodies. Our nozzle controllers send their orientation, water pressure and stream adjustment values to their digital twins allowing the players to extinguish the virtual fires on the screen. The wide angle of the camera and its parametric movements allow for the children to play simultaneously and focus on extinguishing fires together. Live feedback is provided to the players in both audio and text forms to help them understand how to improve their technique and where to focus their attention.

Although a friendly hand-drawn aesthetic was preferred, we developed a realistic fire behaviour model, consulting real firefighters in the region. Unique game mechanics, like the ability for an entire class to contribute to a single score, helps encourage a sense of camaraderie and teamwork which is essential in real fire-fighting scenarios.

Impact

Since its installation, the game has been used by hundreds of children and was highlighted in the book The Principles and Processes of Interactive Design, by Associate Professor Jamie Steane. The unique look of Teenage Firefighters makes it non frightening for the younger audience and yet fun and intriguing for teenagers and adults. Teenage Firefighters is part of a larger effort to raise awareness amongst young audiences. It helps understanding what are the common causes for fires, how quickly flames and fumes propagate and how firefighters work.

Associate Professor Jamie Steane, about Teenage Firefighters in The Principles and Processes of Interactive Design:

‘the continual integration of the online world, television and extended realities means that some of these formats, user-interface patterns and the established design conventions have entirely blurred. In turn, this creates new challenges and exciting opportunities for interactive design that may lead to entirely new formats in the future.’

Marcello Spagnolo, Musea museum curator:

‘Transformed from imagination to an immersive experience, the exhibit not only impressed fire prevention professionals but also captivated young audiences, combining fun with learning in an unforgettable way.’

About

Wolf in Motion is a Design agency and consultancy. We craft future ideas, engineer creative products and design experiences to deliver impact (and change).

Gomma is a London based Interaction Design studio with a focus on tangible interfaces. Our clients include Showstudio, Lego, John Lewis and SAM Labs.