CommonWealth Partners’ Pier 4 Becomes First in Boston to Deploy Virtual Reality Fire Drills

BOSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#akpreparedness–Pier 4 is the first multi-tenant office building in the city to use virtual reality to conduct fire drills. With many people working from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, CommonWeath Partners opted to deploy virtual reality technology to help ensure all occupants know how to respond in an emergency whenever they are in the office.

Developed by AK Preparedness, a Seattle-based emergency preparedness and life safety company, the new SafetyNetVR solution involves creating a photo-realistic 3D model of a building’s interior and then embedding information about stairwells and life safety equipment.

Web VR fire drills allow building occupants to use their smartphones, tablets or desktop computers to explore their surroundings, locate stairwells and fire extinguishers, and exit the building. As users navigate their building throughout the VR experience, they can learn how to use a fire extinguisher or emergency phones, find out what happens when the building goes into alarm, and receive video-based instruction from a firefighter. They can also learn about responding to a wide range of other emergencies. The value of the VR fire drills will extend far beyond the COVID-19 situation; it will enable building tenants to train their employees on emergency practices at any time, rather than waiting for periodic in-person trainings which may only occur once a year.

AK Preparedness is a leading national provider of emergency preparedness planning, training, and technology solutions, helping thousands of commercial office properties, corporations, government organizations, and residential buildings reduce risks through more effective life safety programs. Founded in 1981, AK provides emergency response plan development, online and mobile emergency response tools, live training and drills, tabletop exercises, life safety training videos, and other services.

CommonWealth Partners LLC is a vertically integrated, privately owned real estate investment, development and management organization. Headquartered in Los Angeles, CWP has assets located throughout the United States, including Boston, New York, Washington DC, Seattle, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Los Angeles and San Diego. For more information visit its website http://www.commonwealth-partners.com/

For more information about AK Preparedness’ VR fire drills contact Rob French, 206-567-9104, robf@akpreparedness.com.

Contacts

Media Contact: Christine Wetzler | 312-612-0283 | christine@pietrylapr.com