Fire Facilities, Inc., manufacturers of steel live fire training towers, burn rooms and mobile training units, launches their first-ever Immersive Experience at FDIC in Indianapolis April 27-29, 2023. The online 3-D virtual tour takes firefighters inside the company’s Commissioner training facility to experience the feeling of movement within the four-story tower and burn room annex.
The Fire Facilities booth (#5739) will be the site of a variety of podcast action as 3 Point Firefighter with Jake Barnes and Valor Fire Training with David Mellen conduct almost a dozen in-booth podcast interviews. In addition, Mellen will conduct the popular Hot Seat Challenge, putting Aaron Adams, Former President of Fire Facilities, Inc., in the hot seat on Thursday, April 27, 2023 at 3:30pm.
Working in conjunction with ISFSI, Fire Facilities will also hold drawings to give away six Leatherman® Wingman® stainless steel tools during FDIC. Show attendees can visit the ISFSI booth (#10092) to get an entry ballot that they can bring to the Fire Facilities booth (#5739). Three Leatherman tools will be given away on Thursday, April 27th and another three on Friday, April 28th.
“As an Associate Member of ISFSI, we want everyone to know we have the tools needed to train for fire safety,” says Adams, a former firefighter. “Whether it’s the 14-in-1 Leatherman pocket tool or our patented Westec® Insulation System in our burn rooms, we are ready to support FDIC attendees.
“Actually, the Fire Facilities exhibit is ‘the place’ to target during FDIC. We’re honored to have both Jake and David in our booth to share their training knowledge with FDIC participants. At the same time, our team is eager to show fire leadership the new Immersive Experience and talk with them about training options available with our steel towers and burn rooms.”
The Immersive Experience
Available on the Fire Facilities website, the first phase of the Immersive Experience includes the ability to virtually walk through the Commissioner training structure. Firefighters can walk up and down the stairwells, zoom in and out of different training areas and move around the building.
“This is just the beginning stages of development for this interactive program,” says Cam Swainson-Whaanga, founder/CEO with Glims Learning, developer of the Afed Limited digital program for Fire Facilities. “Throughout 2023 we’ll continually roll out new aspects of the program on an ongoing basis. We’ll get to a point where you’ll be able to tour several structures. And as you’re in a location, you’ll get explanations and the parameters of training capabilities for the room you’re in.
“Imagine being in a burn room on screen. The tour will permit you to ignite the fire and understand the capabilities of the room space. The overall experience will help people who are looking to purchase, maintain and understand the workings of Fire Facilities training structures.”
Located in New Zealand, Afed Limited is a digital technology company. Afed specializes in Gamification of Digital Learning, using e-learning along with 3D/virtual technologies to showcase, teach and maintain customer services and products.
Live Tapings: Podcasts
Between 1:00pm and 3:00pm on April 27 and 28, firefighter Jake Barnes, host of 3 Point Firefighter, will conduct 15-minute podcast interviews with a variety of firefighting industry leaders in the Fire Facilities booth. He’ll host a total of eight interviews.
Barnes, Battalion Chief Training, at New Albany Fire Department in Indiana, focuses his podcasts on all things related to the fire service. He especially deals with the three key points of “Pride, Training and Physical Fitness.”An ISFSI certified trainer, Barnes travels nationwide to assist with firefighter training programs. His podcasts, including the ones he will record during FDIC, can be heard on Audible, Apple, Spotify and Google.
David Mellen, with Valor Fire Training, will also host a podcast from the Fire Facilities booth. His will take place at 11:00am on April 27. Later that day the gauntlet will be thrown down for the annual Hot Seat Challenge at 3:30pm. Mellen will ask Aaron Adams with Fire Facilities a series of questions related to fire training. With each question, Adams must not only answer the question, but eat progressively hotter chicken wings with hot, hotter and hottest sauces.
“We do the Hot Seat Challenge as a fun YouTube video each year at FDIC,” says Mellen. “This year we’re putting Aaron on the hot seat. We’ll certainly see him sweat through the questions and the wings!”
Supporting ISFSI
Fire Facilities, the first Associate Member of ISFSI, supports fire training worldwide.
“During the past year we’ve stepped up our partnership with ISFSI,” says Adams with Fire Facilities. “We sponsored Jake Barnes and Gilbert Pedroza in a webinar/podcast on ‘How to Get the Most Out of Training in Towers’ along with hosting a focus group of industry leaders.
“We subsidized the creation of a challenge coin for certified trainers and those firefighters going through ISFSI training programs. And, we’re working together to provide content for newsletters and video for training. It’s a privilege to work closely with the leadership of ISFSI to support their dedicated work in this industry.”
All Fire Facilities structures are made with American-steel in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. The company offers a wide variety of configurations to meet all fire and tactical training needs. More than 65 customizable options are available, including ram-pry breaching doors, attic burn areas and confined space elevator shafts.