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21st Century Safety Issues

 

Safety Considerations for Live Fire Training Structures

  • Is your burn building safe? How do you know?

  • How effective is your training?

  • Is your training structure protected by a sacrificial thermal lining system?

Shown below are cases where protective linings have failed, and are not adequately protecting the structure. Many linings are unable to handle the extreme thermal shock, and expansion and contraction that occurs in burn rooms.

When a material is heated or cooled to extreme temperatures, and then suddenly subjected to oppositely extreme temperatures (water) the material tries to react by expanding and contracting. Ultimately, the material may not allow it to adjust so quickly causing expansion cracks, spalling, and crazing.   

      

Structural damage can occur behind failed insulation boards.

We cannot overemphasize the importance of the structural integrity of the training structure. Failing structures are a serious threat to the health and welfare of training personnel. Associated risks can be addressed and eliminated.
 

Class A Live Fire Training:

A typical “Class A” loading, including a bale of hay and two to four wooden pallets, will develop temperatures of about 200 degrees Fahrenheit near the floor and about 1000-1500 degrees near the ceiling.   

Fire hoses are capable of delivering hundreds of gallons of water per minute at pressures of generally 50-100 pounds per inch. 

Some of the water immediately converts to steam, expanding 1700 hundred times its volume. This can be a critically dangerous environment for both the
firefighter as well as the structure.

This pressure plays havoc with the firefighters and the building and creating thermal shock. 

What do you need to do?

A. Always get the NFPA recommended annual structural survey. (show link to the survey page).

B. Always protect your structure. Please consider our advanced structural protective linings. We believe he best thermal lining system is a “floating” refractory liner installed over a rigid insulation barrier.  This type of system offers resistance to mechanical abuse while providing excellent thermal protecting to the structure. 
 
System 203 firetiles are installed over a layer of calcium silicate insulation board. The firetiles protect the insulation which serves as your thermal barrier.


System 203

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