Characterization of a Live Fire Training Simulator for use in the Canadian Fire Service

Abstract

This thesis reports on the design, instrumentation, testing, and characterization of a live fire training simulator for use in the Canadian Fire Service. The importance of fire training, including live fire training evolutions is researched along with the different types of training structures, their advantages, and their drawbacks. A fire simulator constructed from a steel shipping container was designed and instrumented and a series of tests were conducted to characterize the interior fire environment. Tests were conducted using a variety of fuel loads under varied ambient conditions at the National Research Council’s testing facility in Mississippi Mills, Ontario as well as the at Ottawa Fire Service’s live fire training site. The interior fire environment was characterized using an array of thermocouples and heat flux gauges, and the measurements were compared to available guidelines about safe operating environments for firefighters. This characterization is based primarily on upper layer temperatures, lower layer temperatures, and heat flux. The environment was found to be safe for most configurations within the ambient condition range of the testing. Recommendations on the design of live fire simulators are presented including: novel design elements, fuel types, and fuel configurations. A simplified instrumentation schematic is proposed that would allow for a reasonable characterization of the thermal environment during live fire training, and this instrumentation is recommended to increase participant safety, enhance learning outcomes, and improve instructor competency.