Laurel (NE) just got a much-needed upgrade with a new fire hall, SiouxLandProud.com reported.

Sunday was the open house and dedication. The facility holds seven fire rigs, two ambulances, storage space and a common area that will double as a classroom, the report said.

This project has been in the making for more than five years.

The all-volunteer department has 25 firefighters with 17 members part of its rescue squad, according to the report.

Live-Fire Training Michael Foster

In today’s economic environment, getting maximum value for your money is imperative. That’s why a lot of fire departments with a tight budget might be inclined to build their own training systems and props.

After all, when you take a simple look at some fire training systems, they just look like shipping containers placed together. Someone adds wood, sets it on fire, and there you go. Training is safely completed. But was it? Was it done safely? Or did we just get lucky again?

Should fire departments build their own fire training system rather than purchasing a fully designed and engineered structured?

Several issues arise when considering a training structure. First and foremost would be liability. We’re going to come back to liability, but let’s consider everything else.

• The Choice Between Class A and B for Training Systems
• Can’t Afford to Be Without It, But Can Your Department Afford a Fire Training System?

National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1402, Standard on Facilities for Fire Training and Associated Props, 2019 Edition, lists a variety of requirements to meet the standard; among them is engineered drawings of any training system.

Firefighter training systems require very specialized structural engineering. They are not like building normal structures since they will be repeatedly exposed to heat, fire, smoke, and much more. Understanding the impact requires an expert structural engineer who’s specifically aware of the stresses for fire training systems.

That structural engineering extends to elements one might not consider including the foundation and how the training system is secured. Just because someone knows a welder doesn’t mean the welds are structurally sound.

While from the outside a Swede system live fire training prop looks like an ordinary Class A shipping container, the interior has been significant altered to create fire environments that enhance firefighter training.

How to conduct the required educational components in these systems is outlined in the 2018 Edition of NFPA 1403, Standard on Live Fire Training Evolutions. Generating repeatable, safe evolutions that demonstrate recognizable fire and smoke behavior is paramount for an effective training program. Interiors must be properly engineered for ventilation that allows for the appropriate fire and smoke behavior to occur. For example, learning to recognize the fire and smoke behavior in an eventual flashover and ways to delay or mitigate it requires significant infrastructure in a training system.

Everything burns, and long-term exposure to the heat in metal structures can impact the integrity of the metal. Each training unit where a burn occurs is engineered with proper insulation to endure repeated exposures.

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Oklahoma State University christened its first new fire truck in almost a century on Sunday, KTUL.com reported.

The school’s Fire Service Training program plans to use it to train a new generation of firefighters, the report said. The ceremony happening on September 11 was pure coincidence, meant to coincide with the start of its biannual academy, but the program’s directors believe in its significance.

Tradition for fire stations dictate that new fire trucks be physically pushed into the garage for the first time. Sunday’s ceremony was the first at OSU in 90 years.

The program’s brand-new Pierce pumper truck, purchased with a federal grant, was custom-made for OSU. It cost $60,000 – which is 15 percent of the truck’s typical asking price – and took 18 months to build, the report said. Its Cowboy-centric details include an orange paint job and Pistol Pete engravings on the fire axes. Now trainees can learn on up-to-date equipment instead of hand-me-downs, the report said.

CustomFIRE—Lawrence Fire Department, DePere, WI, tender. International HX620 6×4 cab and chassis; Cummins X15 565-hp engine; Hale HPX200-H20 200-gpm pump; ProPoly 3,000-gallon polypropylene water tank; adjustable compartment shelving; Zico Quic-Lift portable tank storage; swing-out and -down rear access ladder. Dealer: Wayde Kirvida, Custom Fire Apparatus, Osceola, WI.

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A new fire station is now in use in Clovis (CA), ABC30.com reported.

A ribbon-cutting was held for the newest addition to the Clovis Fire Department on Saturday. Station 6 is located on Encino Avenue – just south of Shaw and Leonard.

This station will serve 10,000 homes and 30,000 residents in the Loma Vista area, the report said.

Construction started in February of 2021 and cost $8 million, funded by development fees of the surrounding areas, according to the report. The station is staffed with three firefighters at all times.