Most existing burn buildings are damaged. A few are so unsafe they need to be condemned.
Below are several examples of structural damage caused by repeated fire training. Such damage threatens the structural integrity of the building as well as the safety of those firefighters training inside.
Can you tell when you have a significant problem? Many fire department personnel cannot.
As your community grows, do you know if you can upgrade your burn building to meet the additional demand for training needs? An experienced structural engineer can provide you with the answers to these and other questions by evaluating your burn building.
NFPA 1403 requires periodic engineering surveys on all burn buildings. Surveys will keep you in conformance with this standard, reduce your liability, and help you maintain a safer training environment. The information provided by the survey will allow educated decisions to be made regarding safety, repairs and structure life. These important considerations should be addressed before investing in linings, temperature monitoring systems and upgrades to doors, windows, etc. To provide you with adequate information to enable you to make these decisions, we can recommend what professional services you will require.
HTL can do a preliminary “safety check” of your existing burn building and assist in obtaining the services of an experienced professional engineer to complete the structural survey.
Get the Facts. Research a thermal lining system suitable for your live fire training requirements which will protect your building.
Consider long term life cycle cost analysis: replacement/maintenance/training downtime factors including costs of out of area live fire training.