Exterior Life Fire Props for Firefighter Training

BY LYNN MORGAN

Today’s fire training has two focuses: lectures and hands-on firefighter training skills. Most people learn hands-on skills by doing the skill several times for proficiency.

As fire instructors, training officers, and chief officers, is your fire department considering the safety of everyone using the type of exterior props that your department has, whether they are homemade or manufactured? Are you, as a department, buying new engineering props? Or are you going to the local welding shop to have a donated item converted into a prop?

Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Props

Many departments have tight budgets and can’t afford new props. I would imagine most departments have gone to the salvage yard and acquired a vehicle for car fire class. But how many departments follow the required steps, according to National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1403, Standard on Live Fire Training Evolutions?¹ Here are safety guidelines for your department to keep in mind for three commonly used homemade props.

1. DIY Car Prop

The following items must be removed from any vehicle before using it for training:

Fluid reservoirs.
Fuel tanks.
Shock absorbers.
Drive shafts.
Any other gas-filled cylinders.

Additional steps for departments to take include the following:

Investigate if the car has any magnesium in the transmission, steering wheel, and wheels.
Check for air bags.
Remove the tires from the vehicle.

In addition to removing all the items that need to come out of the car, you’ll need to work with a local propane company, which can likely donate piping and hoses and can also help with installation.

You’ll also need to plan for the instructors’ safety. When they light the fire for the evolution, they’ll use a flare or a torch to light either a Class A or Class B fuel. (Class B can be the more dangerous of the two.)

Here’s what you want to avoid: getting the flare down in the car and then having it overignite when the operator hits the gas, sometimes to the extent that the fire shoots back at him. If you are lighting a homemade prop, make sure you secure the flare on a long pole to keep the ignition process as safe as possible.

2. DIY Dumpster Prop

For a homemade dumpster prop, call or visit your local trash company and find out about acquiring an old dumpster the company is getting rid of anyway. You’ll need to clean it out and drill some holes to serve as drains.

Your next decision is about whether you want Class A or Class B fuels. If you decide on Class A, all you need are some pallets and some hay to light on fire.

For Class B preparation, you’ll need help putting the piping in. From there, you can use the same controls that you did for the car fire prop. You’ll face the same safety issues with the instructor lighting the dumpster on fire (photo 1). The piping should be routed to the rear of the prop so the supply lines are out of the way of the advancing hoseline. This will prevent a tripping hazard.

1. Photos by author.

Since plastic lids will melt off over time, it’s a good idea to find a welder who can make you some lids. I highly recommend removing the plastic lids from the start. If you don’t, they can flare up, send molten plastic flying, and increase the chance of injuries during training.

3. DIY Flammable Liquid Prop

To make a flammable liquid prop, start with a 55-gallon metal barrel, and follow these steps:

Cut it in half.
Pour your diesel fuel into each half of the barrel and light it for your evolution. (Beware: If you don’t have support for the prop, it might rock and spill when it’s hit with water or foam.)
Set the prop in a pit or retention area to pick up fuel afterward.
Establish a plan for absorbing and cleaning up the runoff fuel.

Another prop in this category is made from different lengths of pipe with holes drilled into the pipes. When the pipes are assembled, the structure looks like a Christmas tree. When this type of prop is lit, fire comes out of all of the sections. A fake valve is installed. Essentially, this is a real valve with all the working parts taken out. This helps with stopping the leak.

Many academies also use props like these to help with training firefighters on how to use dry chemical extinguishers.

Manufactured Props

Many companies manufacture exterior props, and options range from grills to aircraft trainers. If your department has the budget, purchasing a manufactured exterior will mean you have technical support and a warranty.

You can also purchase a maintenance agreement that includes annual service. Popular manufactured props include cars, dumpsters, horizontal tanks, and gas meters, which all apply to Firefighter I and II skill sets.

With manufactured props, you can purchase a stationary control box (photo 2) or a remote control. With a remote control, you manage the amount of fire students are dealing with. You will purchase the burn pan and this is your base unit. One of the big benefits of going this route is that you’ll no longer need to use flares for lighting the prop fires. Here are a few points to keep in mind when you’re considering manufactured props.

1. Manufactured Car Fire Prop

Most of the car fire props I’ve seen have the same features. They generally have three to four fire zones that you can operate separately or simultaneously. They have a cooling mist that hooks to a garden hose or, if you have the adapter, to your fire pumper.

Some units have a smoke machine in the trunk area where you will not spray water. You can prop the hood up with a pole. The doors open on both sides, which is great for skills testing for Firefighter I and II. If you take this approach, you can work through several rotations with your teams without having to clean out and reload every time.

2. Manufactured Dumpster Prop

The dumpster prop is a regular-sized dumpster. In one design, the dumpster goes over the burn pan. In another, the pilot box sits on the back of the dumpster and ignites the different zones in the dumpster.

Consider adding grates in your dumpster. This will protect the piping at the bottom when students use a pole to stir up the materials they’re learning how to extinguish.

A manufactured dumpster prop will come with lids that the students have to flip over to perform their evolution. My recommendation is that students stay with Class B on this prop. You can save a lot of time in your rotations if you’re not trying to get the Class A material to light up again and you don’t have to clean it out after every burn.

3. Manufactured Pressurized Tank Prop

For a pressurized tank prop, you have a few options. You can get two tanks mounted on a skid, each representing two 100-pound cylinders, with a remote shutoff in the center. You can also opt for an old-fashioned horizontal tank with the shutoff under a dome—like what you see on residential tanks (photo 3). This prop would be good for a department that deals with natural gas meters.

With Class B props, you will need a fuel supply. Some propane companies will rent a tank to your department. I have also seen companies waive the rental fee as long as you use them to fill it when it gets low. You can use a 250-gallon tank or a 500-gallon tank. If your training ground is not fenced in, consider having a fence built around your supply tank.

If you don’t have a tank on your training grounds, you can contact your local propane company and it will usually bring one out the day of your training. The number of burns can vary, depending on how many evolutions you have for the day—and how many students. The biggest advantage here is that you can run more students through the evolution because you don’t have to clean the burned products out and reload each time.

Final Steps for Manufactured Props

Before you spend any money on manufactured props, you’ll need to form a purchasing committee that includes your department’s chief officers. Create a presentation to show the committee that you have covered all of your bases. The following list will guide you on what to include in your presentation. Note that some of the items only pertain to requests for manufactured props.

Provide information on vendors that build exterior props and the service agreements they offer.
Provide options on each vendor’s prop offerings.
Include information about each manufacturer’s warranty—on the prop and the controls.
On a spreadsheet, break down the cost of each prop and base unit, with controls.
Cover your reasons for wanting manufactured props over building your own. (Include a mention of safety and rotation time per evolution, as well as whether you could share it with other stations.)

If any of the vendors are nearby, consider making a trip to see the props in person. At FDIC, attend the exhibition days and demonstrations to see products firsthand.

Important Overall Considerations

Whether you’re interested in DIY or manufactured props, you’ll need to consider several important factors, including the following:

Budget: What can your department afford?
State law: Some states only permit manufactured props for testing. Will your state certification agency allow for homemade props to be used for testing?
Needs: What props does your department need to cover training for Firefighter I and II skills?
Additional funding: Do any local charities support efforts like this? Do any chain restaurants or other organizations provide funding? It’s definitely worth checking out FEMA’s Assistance to Firefighters Grants Program.²

Keep in mind that your purchase decision could depend on whether you’re opting for Class A or Class B fuels for the prop. A plus side to exterior props is that you can develop your purchasing plan on the props while you acquire the exterior props. For example, you could purchase the controls and the base unit plus one prop the first year. Then, going forward, you could budget for one prop per year until your prop wish list is fulfilled.

ENDNOTES

1. NFPA 1403, Standard on Live Fire Training Evolutions, 2018. bit.ly/3wuIiNW.

2. “Assistance to Firefighters Grants Program,” FEMA, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 2024. bit.ly/4bKczbH.

LYNN MORGAN is a 36-year-veteran of the fire service and a captain with the Republic (MO) Fire Department. He is an adjunct instructor with the Missouri University Fire and Rescue Training Institute and a member of the advisory committee for the fire science program at Ozark Technical College. He is also on the board of directors for the Southwest Regional Training Academy. Morgan has served as a consultant to departments that are exploring the purchase of exterior props or burn facilities.

Exterior Live Fire Props for Training