New Training Center in Memphis
A SPECIAL ATTRACTION at the most recent Memphis Fire Department Instructors Conference was the dedication on Sunday, February 22nd, of the Claude A. Armour Fire and Police Training Academy and Communications Center. A large number of conference registrants later accepted Chief John C. Klinck’s invitation to inspect the building and were tremendously impressed with the new $2 1/2-million facility designed by Architect Richard J. Regan.
The center is located on the northwest corner of Flicker and Avery, in the approximate geographic center of the city.
Total land area is 18 acres and about four acres have been paved and landscaped. An additional eight acres are now being paved, and the remainder will be completed in 1960.
The plant consists of a main building housing the fire and police communications and alarm systems, fire and police training divisions, and the fire prevention bureau. Both fire and police radio transmitters and repair shops are located here.
The main building is approximately 250 feet long and 90 to 100 feet wide. It is of reinforced concrete frame and concrete block panel walls, brick-faced. Floors are reinforced concrete, surfaced with asphalt tile and terrazzo. Approximately 60 per cent of the roof area is concrete, the remainder being corrugated steel deck on bar joists. The roof is surfaced with tar and gravel over a vapor barrier. A basement boiler room houses heating, air conditioning, mechanical and electrical equipment, as well as an auxiliary gasoline-driven generator. The fire alarm office has a partial basement cable vault.
Fire alarm
Fire alarm facilities include a central alarm office, repair shop, battery room, administrative offices, map and drafting room and kitchen. The radio operator is housed in a separate soundproof room, and keeps in contact with alarm operators through an intercom system. Traffic light controls are also located here. District Chief J. A. Gennette is chief of communications.
Fire prevention bureau
The bureau facilities consist of a general office, offices of the fire marshal, assistant fire marshal, Commercial and Industrial Fire Prevention Association and secretaries’ offices. A sign shop is located in this bureau, where a large number of fire prevention posters and material is turned out. A conference room and record and file space is also provided.
Training division
The training division occupies two large classrooms on the ground floor, as well as a large area on the second floor.
The ground floor section consists of a pumper and sprinkler training area equipped with drafting pit, hydrants, sprinkler valves and a sprinkler demonstration cabinet. In addition, the American District Telegraph Company installed a large operating wall panel, which contains all the various fire detection, alarm and sprinkler supervisory equipment used in the city.
The rooms are large enough to permit operation of two pumpers at one time and exhaust ports in the floor permit apparatus to be run with all doors and windows closed.
Equipment in these rooms include cut-away hydrants; pumps; a hose trailer; two pumpers; a wet, dry and deluge sprinkler valve, and pumper testing gauges and equipment.
Training area
A five-story drill tower and a twoand-a-half-story fire fighting building have been completed. The tower is brick with reinforced concrete floors and roof. It has an enclosed stairway, inside and outside standpipes, and sprinklers on each floor. A built-in chimney, with specially designed dampers allows smoke to be channeled to any one or number of floors at the same time.
All window sills are covered with cypress plank bolted to the brickwork. All copings, sills and other precast stone parts are anchored with bolts or metal stays, in addition to mortar. Fire escape parts, steel ladders and metal rails are double-anchored directly into the brickwork, to prevent any chance of weakening.
On the roof of the tower, ring bolts are sunk into the concrete for tying lines, and a non-skid surface is provided as a safety measure.
The fire fighting building consists of a full basement, first and second floors, a 3-foot cockloft and attic with pitched roof above. The building is novel in its construction. It consists of a reinforced concrete frame with outer brick panel walls. Next to the outer walls is a 1/2-inch air space, then inner walls of fire brick. The 1/2-inch air space is vented to the outside by means of small louvers placed at the top and bottom of each panel. The entire inside of the fire building is covered with at least 1 1/2 inches of calcium-aluminate cement, which is both heat-resistant and porous.
Movable partitions permit changes in the floor plan. These are constructed of angle iron frames, filled with 2×4 planks.
Thermocouples are installed in various parts of the building and are connected to a central panel, so that temperature readings can be made from one location. There is no interior lighting in the fire building, but 110-120-volt outlets are located at numerous places on the outside of the building, so that portable lighting equipment and power tools can be used inside.
The north side of the fire building and drill tower is provided with a full-size mock-up of overhead trolley lines, which is used in aerial ladder training. A safety net is also installed on the front of the tower.
The third phase of construction of the center will include an equipment building (housing apparatus and a hose tower), a gymnasium, locker and shower rooms, gas mask training facilities, a 10,000-gallon outdoor drafting pit, gasoline storage area, rescue training area, flammable liquid, LP gas and transformer installations. Plans are now under study and construction is scheduled to start next year.
