Firefighter Training Props

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So, all my learning to weld other than acquiring a new skill has mostly been for this plan of attempting to start a side business designing and producing custom made firefighter training props/equipment. Out on Long Island firefighting is all volunteer but there's no shortage of funding and rarely any expense is spared on training. Unfortunately a lot of training facilities that are privately owned are very bland and usually just empty cargo container structures.So I've been designing some stuff here and there and getting the materials funded by my own volunteer house at no cost of labor to let me build new things. Ultimately I have a window prop I designed but I'm not looking to post that online right now for the whole world.Ultimately I would like to get into everything from props to mock furniture possibly from aluminum.Anyway here's one I am working on now. Admittedly I messed up a little in my layout so I am going to have to improvise some which is a bummer but it is what it is.This will be used to simulate removal of window bars/gates that some of you work so hard to build. They're a hazard for firefighters and civilians who may be trapped inside the structure.It uses up to 6 steel rods to allow practice with saws or pieces of wood to allow practice leveraging them off.I messed up the placement of the lower frame of the top section it's too high and needs to come down. I also did a real miserable job on fitup thanks to using my new abrasive saw the first time. I didn't consider a non perfect cut means I can't measure each side seperately so it didn't line up 100%. Will have to use 3/8 steel rods now instead of 1/2 to compensate.Also designed a building mounted one but I didn't construct one yet.Attachment 897931Attachment 897941Attachment 897951Last edited by BrooklynBravest; 11-08-2014 at 10:56 AM.www.FirehouseFabricators.comZachLincoln 210mpLincoln SW200Hypertherm Powermax 45xp2x4 CNC Plasma Table.
Reply:I just did a project for the Wylie Fire Department's smoke house.  They train firemen from all of the local volunteer and small departments.This building is a two room concrete tilt up construction with three doors and now three windows.  Two 4' X 4' windows and one 3' X 6' window.They wanted to have the windows where they could be opened in an emergency from the inside, keep in mind adrenalin, blinding smoke, and full gear including gloves.  And the windows could be opened up a panel at a time from the outside by trainers.This is for positive ventilation techniques.  It's huge west of the Mississippi but I understand that east of it there is some resistance to the system.  What knocked my socks off was the captain explaining that when done properly the firemen can enter a room and the smoke will be gone and they can easily see the source and or any victims.They contacted me to design and build it after the engineers figured out the window jam work, LOL Attached Imageslife is good
Reply:Nice that's pretty solid.The window I designed allows a firefighter to break out panels and smash a window sash before making entry. Most training buildings have like you built, a regular hatched steel window. It doesn't really permit teaching how to properly take a window and make entry."Live burns" as well call them here aren't really permitted anywhere outside of the actual county fire academy. Private department facilities use industrial smoke machines.As far as positive pressure ventilation, manpower is usually a bigger issue in those regions. They devote a lot of effort to making their lives easier before making entry. Here we focus on aggressive interior fire attack to eliminate the problem off the batt.Last edited by BrooklynBravest; 11-08-2014 at 11:18 AM.www.FirehouseFabricators.comZachLincoln 210mpLincoln SW200Hypertherm Powermax 45xp2x4 CNC Plasma Table.
Reply:Here they get to practice on structures that are scheduled to be demolished.  We had one a couple of blocks from here that they played with for weeks.  They didn't allow it to burn down but they did have the boys sweating like fat ladies going to weigh cutting holes in the roof in 100 + degree heat this summer.life is good