The College of Eastern Idaho’s Fire Service Technology program has begun using a new mobile driving simulator, awarded to the state through a federal grant.

The simulator, manufactured by Simulation Technology, is built into a 42-foot trailer, and includes two driving cockpits (an ambulance and fire engine) and a trainer evaluation station in the middle. It’s the first mobile driving simulator in Idaho, according to Fire Service Technology officials.

The College of Eastern Idaho, which manages fire training for the state, received funding for the roughly $400,000 simulator through an Assistance to Firefighters Grant, a Federal Emergency Management Agency award that helps emergency services departments pay for training and equipment. The simulator — a semi-circle of digital screens and a mock vehicle cab with a driver’s seat, dashboard and controls that mirror real emergency vehicles — allows trainees to practice driving a Ford F-450, the truck used for Idaho ambulances, and a Spartan Chassis fire engine.