We’ve decided we needed to offer a basic understanding of issues to address when considering repairs of an existing live fire training structure (burn buildings or burn rooms) or the construction of a new live fire training structure for industrial fire training. Over the years these structures have been built all over the world, frequently utilizing minimal resources. These buildings are simple concrete and masonry shells in which firefighters repetitively ignite and extinguish fires during training exercises. The simplicity of the typical structure often results in a casual approach to its’ design and construction. Indeed, many burn buildings are expected to have a relatively short life of only two to perhaps ten years.Many burn buildings have been constructed over the last three decades for a number of reasons. Live fire training has become more sophisticated as firefighting and fire science continues to develop. Industrial Firefighter training has become more than an objective – it is now a mandate.
In the past, abandoned buildings (acquired structures) were burned down by fire departments as a training exercise. However, the supply of such buildings has dwindled and environmental regulations are so stringent that many departments find obtaining approval to burn acquired structures to be too much trouble. Finally, the number of firefighters required to protect a community increases in direct proportion to the general population. In growing communities, departments must continuously train new recruits and career personnel. This growth fosters the demand for additional burn buildings. An increased demand for training requires a new approach to burn building construction.
Departments now realize that the casual approach results in buildings that prematurely fail and become too great a safety liability to be used for fire training. Facility Managers often consider the structure to be a costly liability and a nuisance as opposed to an asset. The very nature of the use of the building often leads to neglect of the structure. These buildings endure the most abusive environments. People expect the impossible from these buildings and they send their most valuable assets (personnel) into the structures every week.
Still, it is rare that appropriate maintenance funding is allocated to ensure the structure is safely maintained. Police stations, fire departments, schools, governmental centers and recreation centers are all meticulously maintained.Yet, where personal safety is placed in jeopardy on a daily basis, there is rarely funding available to ensure the maintenance of a safe training environment for the very individuals who protect the safety of the general public.
We at High Temperature Linings have concentrated on developing a responsible approach to burn building design and construction for over fifteen years. We have visited hundreds of burn buildings and burn rooms and have repaired and/or protected nearly 200 industrial fire training structures. We have documented successes and failures and have been exposed to a lot of great ideas.
Our designs for new live fire training structures incorporate those ideas, as well as our developments in protective lining technology.Again, we have provided documents on our site and on this blog to stimulate your interest in conducting further research into properly dealing with existing live fire training structures or those that are being considered for construction. Limited details are provided our site (Learning Center page) but we encourage you to contact us with specific issues, concerns or questions. We will attempt to lead you in the right direction and continue to post useful content for you to be educated on.
