Training Props

[JBJ1202 27]

What kinds of training props are in your department? Forcible entry, pitched and flat roof cutting, mask confidence, through the lock, and wall breach are some of the first props that come to mind.

Whether homemade or manufactured, training props are a great way to keep your members sharp in skills that aren't performed in the field every day. Manufactured items seem to be hit or miss. You need to do your research on a product before spending potentially thousands of dollars on it. Homemade props are a great way for fire fighters to be involved from the beginning. They are also pretty inexpensive to put together most of the time and can last a while. Also having these props in and around your firehouse makes the training frequently available and easy to schedule and execute.

My department purchased the Multi-Force door from Firehouse Innovations Corp last summer and have had been very pleased with it. We also made our own pitched roof simulator about four years ago. It was a first generation for us and the next roof should be made this spring/summer.

Thoughts?

JBJ

Edited April 6, 2011 by JBJ1202

[x129K 1,393]

GREAT thread idea!

Let's see pictures and descriptions of your in house training props!

[JM15 386]

Yeah pictures and maybe cost would be awesome!!

[texastom791 31]

The department that I started out in as an explorer has a mask confidence course in the attic and at the substation there is a roof simulator. The mask confidence course included a forcible entry simulator and wall studs that you had to breech through it also had a part where you had to go across attic rafters.

[RichC 0]

JBJ:

Thanks for the info and a good topic. We put together a roof simulater a few years back but after using it allowed it to fall into disrepair probably since our area had a number of houses scheduled for teardown that we were able to work roof ops on. It was very well made but should have been made a little larger.

Question on the Multi Force simulator; there are a few forcible entry simulators out there now and I am wondering what made the Purchase FD go with the Multi Force. Just watched a video on it and it looks like a pretty good product. Did you do much comparison with other simulators?

Thanks

Edited April 6, 2011 by RichC

[JBJ1202 27]

JBJ:

Thanks for the info and a good topic. We put together a roof simulater a few years back but after using it allowed it to fall into disrepair probably since our area had a number of houses scheduled for teardown that we were able to work roof ops on. It was very well made but should have been made a little larger.

Question on the Multi Force simulator; there are a few forcible entry simulators out there now and I am wondering what made the Purchase FD go with the Multi Force. Just watched a video on it and it looks like a pretty good product. Did you do much comparison with other simulators?

Thanks

We felt that the Multi Force was a very durable and realistic simulator that could be used for different types of forces. We are able to force inward and outward on both sides of the simulator which some doors aren't capable of. You are able to control the resistance on the door based on the wood and chocks used. Also wood frame doors can be simulated with the "baseball swing" method as demonstrated in the video. It is portable and easy to assemble. We have used it at the Westchester FTC during a multi-department drill and were able to add a forcible entry evolution to the live burn, which worked out great. While not the cheapest option compared to other simulators or building a door simulator in-house, we felt it was a safe investment.

In recent years we haven't used our pitched roof as much. A neighboring departments training facility has a pitched roof simulator on top of the three story building. I would be interested in constructing a flat roof in the near future though.

JBJ

[Alpinerunner 61]

We have a small pitched roof to cut pallets on, and we put together a SCBA maze every once in a while with studs to go through. We have access to neighboring departments' full maze though. We also have a long tube to crawl through as confined space practice that is VERY nerve wracking the first time.

[WHFD318 17]

We felt that the Multi Force was a very durable and realistic simulator that could be used for different types of forces. We are able to force inward and outward on both sides of the simulator which some doors aren't capable of. You are able to control the resistance on the door based on the wood and chocks used. Also wood frame doors can be simulated with the "baseball swing" method as demonstrated in the video. It is portable and easy to assemble. We have used it at the Westchester FTC during a multi-department drill and were able to add a forcible entry evolution to the live burn, which worked out great. While not the cheapest option compared to other simulators or building a door simulator in-house, we felt it was a safe investment.

In recent years we haven't used our pitched roof as much. A neighboring departments training facility has a pitched roof simulator on top of the three story building. I would be interested in constructing a flat roof in the near future though.

JBJ

JBJ,

That's a great idea about the flat roof. Something we should definitly look into. I will try to get some pictures of the training center to put up, here. Have old ones but nothing new.

Our building now has 2 burn rooms. One room can be used as a simulated basement fire scenario. The other is on the second floor. Both give good heat in the room itself and to the floors above. Along with the burn room on the second floor, we have moveable walls to change the floor plan. Our third floor has simulated attic with access to the roof simulator. The top floor has a ladder to the roof of the building. The entire building also has a full standpipe system. On one of our doors in the building we have an older model forceable entry door, but it is currently OOS. Waiting on a part to fix. We also use our building for the bailout training.

I hope to have some pictures soon to share.