FSRI Team Conducts Experiments in Firefighter Training Props

Testing for the FEMA/DHS2014 "Study of the Fire Service Training Environment: Safety, Fidelity, and Exposure" grant project focused on quantifying the firefighter training environment in various structure types utilizing differing fuel loads is on-going. Currently, experiments are being conducted at the Delaware County Emergency Services Training Center in Delaware County, PA. These experiments are comparing a lined and a non-lined metal container prop to a wood framed structure that was designed to represent a single family dwelling. Common residential furnishings and several wood-based fuel packages are being burned to examine the influence on fire dynamics of the type and arrangement of fuel within within the burn compartment. The goal is to determine how the different wall linings, fuel packages, and ventilation can be configured to provide fire instructors with the safest and most realistic training for firefighters. 

Watch the video below for an overview of the experiments conducted so far: