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Escarpment Magazine Spring 2014
When firefightersenteraburningbuilding, typically thesmoke isso
thick theycan’t see theirhands in frontof their facesandmust search
thebuildingonhandsandkneeswithoutbeingable toseeanything.
In training facilities, smoke is pumped into the structure to simulate
fireconditionsbut theproblemwithmost facilities is thatoncea fire-
fighter has gone through theexercisea few times, it loses its chal-
lenge as the firefighter becomes familiar with the layout of the
building.Tocombat this, theMeafordFireTrainingcenterhasbeen
designed so that the interiorof thebuildingcanbemodified togive
different scenarios.Theyaccomplished thisby lining the interiorwalls
of the containerswithplywoodandmetal trackswere installedon
dividingwallsso that thewall itselfcanbeopenedorclosed, totally
changing the layoutof theroom.Thestairways leading to thesecond
and third floors were designed so that they can be moved and
turnedaround. Thereareevenportionsof theupper floors that can
be removed to help simulatewhat would happen if a firefighter
crashed through the floorandhad tobe rescued.
Operating safely isnot alwaysanoption ina real fire situation. In
training however, all safety precautions must be taken. The
Meaford Fire TrainingCenter was designedwith safety inmind
andeverythingwasmade tocurrent legislation standards.On the
exteriorof thebuilding, anchorpointswere installed for fall arrest
equipment and to secure ladders. For the interior, fans were in-
stalled toclear thesmokeasquicklyaspossible incaseofanemer-
gencyduringa training session.
Oneof themost interesting thingsabout thenew trainingcenter is
that it was conceived, planned and built by members of the
Meaford FireDepartment.Whenexploring constructionoptions,
ChiefMolloy lookedat various companies tobuild the structure,
but found they camewith a very high price tag. That’swhen he
and volunteer firefighter Brett Dunlopasked the question, “Why
can’twebuild thisourselves?”
Brett, an experienced carpenterwhose regular day job is owner/op-
eratorofDunlopConstruction, did themajorityof thework.
Brett also conceivedanddesigned the interchangeable interior.With
his help, the trainingcenterwasbuilt for a fractionof thepricemaking
thegoal of recovering thebuildingcostswithin fiveyears, attainable.
Oneof ChiefMolloy’smainprioritieswas tomake the training center
as realistic as possible. Toaccomplish this, the interior of thebuilding
wasdecoratedasa regularhome, completewithcouches, computers,
desks,evenwallhangingsanddishes. ThatwaywhenFirefightersenter
the training roomblanketed in smoke, theywill run intoeveryday items
that couldmake searchingmore difficult. Even smoke detectorswere
installed, because the loudalarmmakes it difficult to hear radio com-
munications.Andofcourse,everythingcanbemovedaround tocreate
a totallydifferent layout configuration for thenext time.
Local Firefighters are already benefiting from exposure to thisworld-
class training facility.And,with thehighdemand for this typeof training,
Meaford isabout tobecomeabusyplace.
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don’t panic
Firefighter Holly Hynes, navigates through wires along a smoke-filled
passageway at the Meaford Firefighter Training Centre.
