Cargo units can play an important role in fire training exercises. These units provide fire fighting trainers with a practical and cost-effective solution that enables them to replicate realistic emergency scenarios inside a controlled environment.
Using items such as ladders, smoke replication machines, and specialist fire doors, units can be adapted both internally and externally to replicate real-life situations for fire training teams providing a safe environment to train staff effectively.
Why Are Containers Being Used In Firefighter Training?
The role of these units in firefighter training is becoming more popular thanks to the versatility and flexibility of the units.
Conversion opportunities allow firefighter trainers to recreate dangerous scenarios that can occur during an outbreak of fire. Trainers can simulate challenging scenarios inside a unit, such as rapid fire growth, flashover, and backdraft, creating a controlled but realistic environment. This means that there is minimal risk to firefighters during training.
The ability to custom-build and engineer a safe fire-resistant training unit offers a practical way for firefighters to gain confidence with life-saving techniques and practise rescue methods in realistic settings. Fire training inside a cargo unit gives peace of mind to everyone involved that they can train effectively and safely.
What Are The Benefits?
Fire training storage boxes are cost-efficient, versatile, and durable. For effective training, fire services need to put their teams to the test with first-hand experience of tackling fires.
Converted units can provide a safe environment so that firefighters can practise their skills in a real-life setting, preparing them for a variety of life-threatening situations they may encounter on the job. This high quality, practical training can be easily achieved with a converted unit that has been modified to replicate a real building and train firefighters without putting them at risk.
Cost Efficiency
Creating a space that can be used over and over again for practical fire training can be expensive and impractical, so a cost-effective way to set up a functional training unit is to utilise shipping units.
These units are generally cheaper than a bricks-and-mortar equivalent, making them a good fit for fire services looking for an affordable, custom-built training space that can be constructed quickly. As they are essentially metal boxes, containers are also fire-resistant so there are no additional costs to improve the durability of the container as it already has some resistance to flames and heat.
As these boxes are easy to move and relocate, training services can also save costs on building multiple static training units. Instead, they can have one set of converted units and transport them to whichever location they are needed in, cutting down on the cost of having numerous purpose-built buildings.
Transportable
These are easily transported on a flatbed truck to different locations which makes them ideal for fire training units that need to be relocated frequently. Fire services have the option to move and transfer their fire training facilities to wherever they want to train their team. This can work well for services that need to be able to train in multiple locations, or for those who would prefer to train their staff in remote locations to prevent fire damage to the surrounding areas.
The unit itself can be set up in a given location quickly, or even completely removed off-site if they are no longer needed for training. Thanks to their flexibility, these units are a versatile option for training centres with limited space.
Durability
Due to the nature of their use in transporting cargo around the world, steel containers are durable, strong, and built to protect the contents inside so it goes without saying that they make a great option for fire training units. Galvanised steel is fire-resistant so the structure won’t be compromised during live fire training ensuring training firefighters are protected from any potential injuries that can occur if the structure becomes significantly damaged.
Self Containment
A shipping unit that has been adapted for firefighter training can be customised to contain a range of equipment and modifications for simulating a fire. A benefit of using a modular unit for fire training is that all the equipment needed for each exercise can easily be stored inside or near the facility, making the training ground self-contained. Specialist ladders and custom personnel doors can be built into a modified unit giving trainers the chance to test a variety of scenarios and training exercises without the need for additional equipment.
Versatility
Training firefighters is an ongoing task, and it’s important for training to be regularly updated to ensure firefighters are adequately equipped to deal with a range of situations. A modified unit can be extremely versatile and meet several needs to fulfil fire training purposes. The internal layout of the unit can be changed when required and be adapted with partitions and walls to provide new challenges for different training exercises. This enables trainers to test their team’s skills in a range of difficult situations.
Containers can also be adapted into specialised units, such as burn rooms where firefighters can practise putting fires out in low visibility such as dark, smoke-filled rooms.
