2025 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) application window opened on May 19, 2026 & will close on June 22, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. ET. We can provide info to support the application process.
Virtual Reality Training for Firefighters, Hazmat & Incident Command
ABOUT THE COMPANY
FRED CASERTA
Founder & CEO
A passionate, creative thinker, Fred Caserta, CEO and founder, built his career in graphic design, advertising, and marketing. He served as Lead Graphic Designer for the first U.S. release of the Grand Theft Auto franchise in 1998, and went on to become Art Director for major brands including Discovery Channel, History Channel, and Scholastic.
Pleiadian Systems Corporation is a U.S.-based company dedicated to increasing the safety and preparedness of first responders through cost‑effective education, training, and evaluation systems. Its mission is to help agencies maximize budgets, reduce injuries, and save lives by delivering immersive, data‑driven tools that strengthen decision‑making and operational readiness.
Fred has since launched two innovation‑driven companies: FIRE RESCUE, LLC (2017), a pioneering VR/AR firm for public‑safety training, and Pleiadian Systems Corporation (2021), expanding his work at the intersection of technology, design, and immersive learning.
OUR TEAM
The Pleiadian Fireground Innovation Team
Our Fire Officers
Fire officers shape the backbone of the VR experience by bringing authentic command judgment, safety priorities, and operational realism into every scenario. Their expertise guides how incidents unfold, how crews interact, and how decision‑making is modeled. Because officer skills are developed through structured practice, their insights directly inform the app’s scenario design, learning pathways, and evaluation logic—ensuring the virtual environment trains firefighters the way real officers lead.
Our Fire Training Officers
Fire training officers drive the instructional backbone of the VR platform by translating real-world training needs into structured, measurable learning experiences. Their expertise shapes how skills are introduced, practiced, and assessed inside the virtual environment. Because effective training is built through intentional design, their insights inform scenario progression, learning objectives, performance benchmarks, and feedback loops—ensuring the VR system teaches the way firefighters actually learn.
Our Learning Engineers and Advisors
Our learning engineers and advisors provide the scientific and structural backbone of the VR platform. They translate real-world fireground behaviors into measurable signals, build the data models that drive performance feedback, and ensure every scenario aligns with how people actually learn. Their expertise shapes the competency frameworks, telemetry logic, and evidence-based improvement cycles that make the system adaptive, reliable, and instructionally sound. By grounding the app in learning science and operational reality, they ensure the VR environment doesn’t just simulate the job—it accelerates mastery.
Our Learning Scientists and Designers
Learning scientists and designers bring the VR experience to life by transforming complex operational and learning requirements into intuitive, immersive interactions. They craft the visual, spatial, and experiential layers that make scenarios clear, navigable, and emotionally authentic. Their work ensures that every interface, cue, and environment supports learning rather than distracting from it—turning the science, data, and fireground expertise into a seamless experience that firefighters can trust and train with.