By Alan M. Petrillo

Departments fortunate enough to build new fire stations are turning to their architects and asking for various types of training props to be built into the stations.

The kinds of props being built into stations vary but range from self rescue, rappelling, and laddering options to confined space operations training to self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) mazes.

1 A Deerfield Township (OH) Fire Rescue Department firefighter works a bailout training exercise from the stair tower training prop in Station 57 that was designed by KZF Design. [Photos 1-4 courtesy of the Deerfield (OH) Township Fire Rescue Department.]

Mezzanines and Hose Towers

Mark Shoemaker, director of public facilities for KZF Design, says the simplest training props that can be built into new fire stations, often using mezzanine areas, include props for rappelling, bailout training, laddering, and confined space manholes. If a mezzanine isn’t an option in a station, Shoemaker suggests that training props can be built into a stair tower inside a hose tower.

2 Station 57, at the Deerfield Township (OH) Fire Rescue Department, designed by KZF Design, has a bailout training window on the first floor to allow safe basic training before moving to a higher exterior window.

“You could use the tower for rappelling, self rescue, hose advancement drills, laddering training, and might even incorporate a dry standpipe into the tower where you could attach a hose and actually flow water,” Shoemaker says. “However, you would need good drainage at the bottom of the tower and either galvanized or stainless steel in the stairway structure.”

Often, tool, decon, and compressor rooms are arranged along one wall of the apparatus bays. “There’s usually a mezzanine above them for storage, even a walled mezzanine that can have door and window openings to practice entry techniques, bailout drills, ladder placements, and rescue,” Ken Newell, principal in Stewart-Cooper-Newell Architects, says. “With a mezzanine about 12 feet above the apparatus room floor, we’ll put anchor points up there so firefighters can do Stokes basket training.”

3 This confined space rescue prop setup is located on the first-floor training space below the mezzanine in Station 57 at the Deerfield Township (OH) Fire Rescue Department. The prop is shown set in place for training exe Read more 309 0 Article rating: No rating Posted: May 18, 2017 Building Training Props into a Fire Station By Alan M. Petrillo Departments fortunate enough to build new fire stations are turning to their architects and asking for various types of training props to be built into the stations. The kinds of props being built into stations vary but range from self rescue, rappelling, and laddering options to confined space operations training to self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) mazes. 1 A Deerfield Township (OH) Fire Rescue Department firefighter works a bailout training exercise from the stair tower training prop in Station 57 that was designed by KZF Design. [Photos 1-4 courtesy of the Deerfield (OH) Township Fire Rescue Department.] Mezzanines and Hose Towers Mark Shoemaker, director of public facilities for KZF Design, says the simplest training props that can be built into new fire stations, often using mezzanine areas, include props for rappelling, bailout training, laddering, and confined space manholes. If a mezzanine isn’t an option in a station, Shoemaker suggests that training props can be built into a stair tower inside a hose tower. 2 Station 57, at the Deerfield Township (OH) Fire Rescue Department, designed by KZF Design, has a bailout training window on the first floor to allow safe basic training before moving to a higher exterior window. “You could use the tower for rappelling, self rescue, hose advancement drills, laddering training, and might even incorporate a dry standpipe into the tower where you could attach a hose and actually flow water,” Shoemaker says. “However, you would need good drainage at the bottom of the tower and either galvanized or stainless steel in the stairway structure.” Often, tool, decon, and compressor rooms are arranged along one wall of the apparatus bays. “There’s usually a mezzanine above them for storage, even a walled mezzanine that can have door and window openings to practice entry techniques, bailout drills, ladder placements, and rescue,” Ken Newell, principal in Stewart-Cooper-Newell Architects, says. “With a mezzanine about 12 feet above the apparatus room floor, we’ll put anchor points up there so firefighters can do Stokes basket training.” 3 This confined space rescue prop setup is located on the first-floor training space below the mezzanine in Station 57 at the Deerfield Township (OH) Fire Rescue Department. The prop is shown set in place for training exe Read more 254 0 Article rating: No rating Posted: May 18, 2017 Wingspread VI: Inside the Opportunities   Robert Tutterow In last month’s column, I wrote about the Wingspread VI report that was released early this year. This was the sixth Wingspread Report, a once-in-a-decade report that has been issued since 1966. Forty fire service personnel representing a diverse section of the U.S. fire service developed the report. The group met in Racine, Wisconsin, at the Johnson Foundation Conference Center last July and came up with 14 “Statements of National Significance to the United States Fire and Emergency Services.” The statements are, in effect, an overview of the threats and opportunities facing the fire and emergency services. In this column, I will highlight a few of the statements that relate directly to firefighter health, safety, and equipment. Of the 14 statements, at least half of them are directly related. The other half have an indirect influence. Statement #3 This statement reads, “The United States fire and emergency services must recognize and address the impact occupational-related disease and injury is having on the industry. The health of fire and emergency services personnel is of paramount importance to the community and to fire and emergency services. Every fire and rescue agency must focus on improving overall health, wellness, and fitness levels of its members.” Certainly, the cancer risks from contamination need attention, especially as they relate to personal protective equipment (PPE). But much more is needed from federal, regional, and local levels. For example, the National Fire Protection Research Foundation is currently developing a program titled, “Campaign for Fire Service Contamination Control.” The project’s overall goal is to develop an educational campaign to control the spread of harmful fireground contaminants. This campaign will go beyond PPE and look at contaminated equipment, apparatus (especially cab interiors), and fire stations. And, this is just the start of addressing contamination from angles other than PPE. Other key issues within statement 3 are member suicide, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and addictions. These are issues that do not traditionally get a lot of print or discussion. However, despite a lack of quantitative data, there is plenty of indisputable evidence that the problem is growing. As the statement background and action plan illustrate, every fire and emergency organization must have programs to prevent these conditions. In addition, every organization should have a qualified medical professional monitor every member’s behavioral and physical health. Statement #4 This statement reads, “The United States fire and emergency services must embrace and participate in the ongoing development of sensors and other technologies to protect the health and safety of their members.” Sensor technology is emerging faster than design and performance standards can keep up. Regardless, adapting sensor technology has tremendous benefits not only for members’ health and safety but for the overall service effectiveness of fire and emergency service organizations. As the statement describes, sensors are available to improve situational awareness as well as physiological monitoring. It is important that fire and emergency services embrace and help develop this technology so it transforms into robust and user-friendly applications for emergency services. As with all electronic technology, the price will come down, making it easier for the fire service to acquire. A parallel opportunity to sensor Read more 383 0 Article rating: No rating Posted: May 18, 2017 Wingspread VI: Inside the Opportunities   Robert Tutterow In last month’s column, I wrote about the Wingspread VI report that was released early this year. This was the sixth Wingspread Report, a once-in-a-decade report that has been issued since 1966. Forty fire service personnel representing a diverse section of the U.S. fire service developed the report. The group met in Racine, Wisconsin, at the Johnson Foundation Conference Center last July and came up with 14 “Statements of National Significance to the United States Fire and Emergency Services.” The statements are, in effect, an overview of the threats and opportunities facing the fire and emergency services. In this column, I will highlight a few of the statements that relate directly to firefighter health, safety, and equipment. Of the 14 statements, at least half of them are directly related. The other half have an indirect influence. Statement #3 This statement reads, “The United States fire and emergency services must recognize and address the impact occupational-related disease and injury is having on the industry. The health of fire and emergency services personnel is of paramount importance to the community and to fire and emergency services. Every fire and rescue agency must focus on improving overall health, wellness, and fitness levels of its members.” Certainly, the cancer risks from contamination need attention, especially as they relate to personal protective equipment (PPE). But much more is needed from federal, regional, and local levels. For example, the National Fire Protection Research Foundation is currently developing a program titled, “Campaign for Fire Service Contamination Control.” The project’s overall goal is to develop an educational campaign to control the spread of harmful fireground contaminants. This campaign will go beyond PPE and look at contaminated equipment, apparatus (especially cab interiors), and fire stations. And, this is just the start of addressing contamination from angles other than PPE. Other key issues within statement 3 are member suicide, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and addictions. These are issues that do not traditionally get a lot of print or discussion. However, despite a lack of quantitative data, there is plenty of indisputable evidence that the problem is growing. As the statement background and action plan illustrate, every fire and emergency organization must have programs to prevent these conditions. In addition, every organization should have a qualified medical professional monitor every member’s behavioral and physical health. Statement #4 This statement reads, “The United States fire and emergency services must embrace and participate in the ongoing development of sensors and other technologies to protect the health and safety of their members.” Sensor technology is emerging faster than design and performance standards can keep up. Regardless, adapting sensor technology has tremendous benefits not only for members’ health and safety but for the overall service effectiveness of fire and emergency service organizations. As the statement describes, sensors are available to improve situational awareness as well as physiological monitoring. It is important that fire and emergency services embrace and help develop this technology so it transforms into robust and user-friendly applications for emergency services. As with all electronic technology, the price will come down, making it easier for the fire service to acquire. A parallel opportunity to sensor Read more 322 0 Article rating: No rating RSS FirstPrevious3299330033013302330333043305330633073308NextLast Theme picker Section Quick Links   Fire Mechanics Documents EVT Discussion Forum Fire Mechanic Photo Gallery Training & Testing 2019 Scholarship Logo Wear Store Upcoming Events Theme picker Sponsors Fire Mechanics Section Board Chair Posted: Oct 21, 2015 Chair Elliot Courage North Whatcom Fire & Rescue Read more 0 0 Article rating: No rating Vice Chair Posted: Oct 21, 2015 Vice Chair Mike Smith  Pierce County Fire District #5 Read more 0 0 Article rating: No rating Secretary Posted: Oct 21, 2015 Secretary Greg Bach South Snohomish County Fire & Rescue Read more 0 0 Article rating: No rating Director #1 Posted: Oct 21, 2015 Director #1 Doug Jones South Kitsap Fire & Rescue Read more 0 0 Article rating: No rating Director #2 Posted: Oct 21, 2015 Director #2 Paul Spencer  Fire Fleet Maintenance LLC Read more 0 0 Article rating: No rating Director #3 Posted: Oct 21, 2015 Director #3 Jim Morris Mountain View Fire Department Read more 0 0 Article rating: No rating Director #4 Posted: Oct 21, 2015 Director #4 Arnie Kuchta Clark County Fire District 6 Read more 0 0 Article rating: No rating Director #6 Posted: Oct 21, 2015 Director #6 Brett Annear Kitsap County Fire District 18 Read more 0 0 Article rating: No rating Director #5 Posted: Oct 21, 2015 Director #5 Jay Jacks Camano Island Fire & Rescue Read more 0 0 Article rating: No rating Legislative Representative Posted: Oct 21, 2015 Legislative Representative TBD TBD Read more 3369 0 Article rating: No rating Immediate Past Chair Posted: Oct 20, 2015 Immediate Past Chair Brian Fortner Graham Fire & Rescue Read more 0 0 Article rating: No rating RSS Theme picker 2020 CAR SHOW Terms Of Use | Privacy Statement - Copyright 2025 by Washington Fire Chiefs Home Members About Us News Calendar Resources Documents Sections County Fire Chiefs FRWC WSAFM