By Laura Lane
The newly acquired Live Fire Mobile Training Unit -- a burn trailer that will be delivered this weekend to the Four Towns Fire Training Center in Merrick -- will enable fire volunteers from Merrick, North Merrick, Bellmore and North Bellmore to practice their skills throughout the year. That's a benefit that only one other Long Island fire department, Franklin Square, enjoys.
Nassau County firefighters, regardless of their experience, are required to train at the Fire Service Academy in Bethpage three times a year. The training is critical, but Luparello said the disadvantage is that the same building is used each time, and firefighters become familiar with the escape routes, unlike what would happen in a real fire.
And new firefighters might not have taken part in a training session there before their first calls.
"When you're training to become a firefighter, they do expose you to fire, to heat and smoke, but it's more curtailed because it's your first training," said Luparello. "The next time you experience fire is if your department is going to the Fire Service Academy, but I've known guys who go to their first fire before the scheduled time at the academy. Their first experience is a real fire."
Merrick-Bellmore's new burn trailer will ensure that all local volunteers see fire before their first call. "The burn trailer is a state-of-the-art, live, propane-fueled fire trainer in a controlled environment," said Luparello. "Our firefighters can go in and practice their skills. It's an invaluable tool for volunteer firefighters who may not see that much fire -- firefighters like us -- because being in an actual fire is very different than it is at a training center."
When the burn trailer arrives, it will be temporarily parked on the pavement inside the Four Towns Training Center. Merrick fire officials hope to permanently park it on a 70-foot-long plot of grass parallel to Clubhouse Road, which they plan to have cemented over by this winter.
The vehicle is safe. The smoke is theatrical and dissipates in 15 feet, and Luparello compares the amount of propane used to a giant barbecue grill. "We met with several different manufacturers to find out the pros and cons, and the main thing we looked for was safety, safety, safety," said Luparello. "This unit was built in Ontario, Canada, and it monitors the level of propane and heat at three different levels. If it ever gets to a certain point of danger for those inside, it automatically shuts down, and the smoke ejectors will clear it out of the entire trailer in one minute."
The burn trailer can run up to four fires at once, and three of the four can be moved around to different locations, which Lt. Bill Mingione of the Merrick Fire Department said is important. "The reason why that's important is that if the fires weren't movable, a firefighter would instinctively remember where the fires are located and become bored with the training over time," explained Mingione. "We also have 10 movable walls that mount on a ceiling-mounted track system that will allow us to constantly change up the configuration of the unit. By constantly changing up the configuration and the movable fire pans, we will also keep the firefighters guessing where the fires will be and how to get to them."
The 8-by-18-foot aluminum, foldable second story will allow fire departments to simulate cutting into a roof with fire, smoke and heat flowing out. And the burn trailer has a "roll-over" feature, which simulates a fire running across the ceiling. Roll-overs are sporadic flashes of flames mixed with smoke at ceiling level caused by heated, combustible gases in the smoke. They ignite into flashes of flame when they mix with the oxygen in the air.
A roll-over is a warning sign that a ³flash-over² will occur. A flash-over happens when the room temperature rises high enough to cause instantaneous combustion of everything in the room, including the firefighter.
"A roll-over can be a very intimidating situation for a firefighter," said Mingione. "Having this happen in a controlled environment is key to teaching members how to handle the situation properly. "
Temperatures inside the trailer can reach 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit at the pilot light; the ambient room temperature is about 300 to 325 degrees.
Luparello said the trailer is painted white, with a red stripe and the Merrick Fire Department logo on its side. No one is able to see from outside the trailer what is going on inside.
The cost of the burn unit, about $331,500, was secured by the Four Towns Training Center, with grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Homeland Security. New York state Sen. Charles Fuschillo Jr., a Republican of Merrick, also secured a $45,000 state grant to purchase the trailer and maintain it in the future.
"We were able to get the grants based on our mission: training to help our community volunteers get the experience necessary so when an incident occurs, we can respond efficiently," said Luparello. "The community should be proud that your volunteer firefighters will have something like this to practice on. We'll be more efficient when a real fire occurs."
Comments about this story? LLane@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 236.
