Providing a realistic architectural environment for fire training that reflects local building types is a desirable goal. Unfortunately, the traditional model used in planning a fire training facility has been a number of isolated structures, each effectively designed to facilitate acquisition of a specific set of skills — for example, the tower used to develop rope skills — yet resembling little that a firefighter is likely to encounter under actual conditions.

The traditional model often is used in the interest of providing flexibility. Flexibility is desirable both from a training standpoint and from the perspective that most communities have finite resources available to construct fire training facilities. But the greater the number of disparate purposes to which a built environment must respond, the less successful it is in responding to any one of these purposes.

The ideal training environment enhances a firefighter's ability to transfer the application of skills from a specific training context, such as the tower, to the actual environment, like a high-rise apartment building. It's important when planning fire training facilities to consider the broad contextual issues of site plan and building types, as well as individual training units.

When fire training professionals work closely with experienced architects, it's possible to design a facility that effectively meets the desire for flexibility while providing a realistic site plan with appropriately urban, suburban or rural building features. Effective planning is a process of mutual education, with fire professionals bringing their expert training knowledge to the table and architects translating program needs into a realistic built environment.

Training academy first

The Fire Department of New York and the City of New York Department of Design and Construction retained Swanke Hayden Connell Architects, New York, N.Y., to provide a full scope of services for an extension and reorganization of the department's existing training academy on Randall's Island. The $45 million project features what is believed to be the nation's first field house training facility that recreates a realistic city block within an enclosure on a heated floor slab.

SHCA designed three new facilities at the fire training academy: a 69,000-square-foot classroom and training building, consisting of six classrooms and a gym; a full indoor training field house; and a burn building that uses computer-controlled effects to simulate live-fire conditions. The combined area of the new buildings totals 85,000 square feet.

The new buildings are part of a 27-acre existing site on Randall's Island in the East River near the Triboro Bridge, which links the boroughs of Manhattan, Queens and the Bronx. The existing training academy, constructed around 1970, consisted of 10 buildings: a classroom, maintenance facilities and a number of small buildings.

The existing facilities were divided into academic buildings and training props, which were built to resemble different building types found in urban areas. These props provide context for various types of training, such as search and rescue, high-angle rescue, fire control, rope rescue, and confined-space operations.

The site plan was typical of most fire training facilities in that it was organized as a number of isolated buildings widely separated from one another, each allowing a 360° approach. The existing environment lacked a realistic urban context, in which one typically finds lines of contiguous buildings of various types with limited approaches.

Beyond a burn building

The most innovative facility in this complex is the field house, which was designed to respond to FDNY's concern about the hazardous ice conditions created during winter training exercises using water.

Consideration first was given to enclosing the burn building, but the architects persuaded FDNY that it would be cost-prohibitive and limit the range of training scenarios. Instead, the fully enclosed field house recreates an internal city block with a heated floor slab to prevent ice formation, enabling training to continue year-round with minimal hazard.

The highly realistic streetscape includes a variety of typical New York City structures, including commercial buildings, stores, brownstones, private dwellings, tenements and apartment buildings. These are placed on each side of the street, stacked like a sandwich to allow for multiple training scenarios.

Each building's exterior appearance and roofline is representative of the types of structures firefighters are likely to find under actual conditions, and each building's interior space planning accurately reflects its exterior appearance. Moreover, appropriate windows, stair types and hardware are among the essential features that contribute to the realism of the constructed context. Materials include appropriate masonry cladding and a metal insulated-panel roofing system.

Flexible features

Within the context of each individual building type, however, the architects also responded to the department's need for flexibility. FDNY can change the interior layouts of the prop buildings to vary scenarios without altering the verisimilitude of the building type. Reusable panels can be relocated quickly so trainees aren't able to memorize layouts.

Because the buildings were designed to represent older buildings, they deliberately aren't built to code. However, the architects balanced this realism with the provision of appropriate safety features for trainees by designing these prop buildings in modified compliance with the life safety code. For example, the architects provided exterior fire escapes that can be used both as a means of egress for trainees and as an opportunity to practice firefighting in a structure with a fire escape, such as one would find in certain types of urban buildings.

The buildings can be accessed both from the inside of the street or the exterior. The street itself is under the roof, while the buildings are half under the roof and half exposed, with one side facing the street and the other side facing the void. The street also features appropriate utilities and other features, including manholes, hydrants, lights, parking meters, propane-gas pipes and mailboxes.

Although real fire trucks aren't used on the street, models, portable units, hoses, and theatrical sound and smoke effects are used to create realistic scenarios.

Technology that allows the use of computer-controlled fires has enhanced the safety of fire training and improved the maintenance and longevity of the props. The original training buildings were standard structures that weren't designed to withstand live fire. For many years, of course, live fires were the only way to train, and these structures sustained considerable structural damage.

While the burn building is no longer a rarity in fire training facilities, designers are still learning how to make improvements. In the new burn building, the architects used G-inch steel plates to protect the walls surrounding the fireplace. Aggressive drainage systems were developed to avoid pooling of water even under high-volume scenarios.

The facility also has an observation room linked to the training facilities by closed-circuit cameras, allowing instructors to interact with training exercises taking place on the enclosed street. The observation room is also linked to classrooms with TV monitors.

Productive partnership

The training facility project was started before Sept. 11, 2001. After that tragedy, FDNY needed to double the number of recruits in training, so the project was fast-tracked. Construction was completed on the burn building before the end of 2001, and the field house was completed in May 2003.

The partnership between the FDNY and SHCA was very productive throughout the development of the project. The architects worked closely with the FDNY leadership and instructors of each type of exercise — including ladders, rope, foam, confined space, search and rescue, hazardous materials, and health and fitness — to discuss programming needs, their experience with existing facilities and training facility requirements.

The traditional model used in most fire training facilities lacks contextual realism and limits the usefulness of these facilities to training firefighters. In contrast, realistic environments provide effective training facilities for a wide range of agencies, including police, National Guard, ATF, EMS and FBI. They also provide opportunities for joint training. This approach may open the door for exploration of innovative joint capital funding or ongoing support of a state-of-the-art facility for a municipality that might not be able to afford it on its own.

Providing a realistic architectural environment for fire training that reflects local context and building types is a desirable goal. When fire training professionals work closely with experienced architects, it is also achievable.

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Cynthia Kracauer, AIA, is a principal with Swanke Hayden Connell Architects in New York, N.Y., who combines her experience in architecture, corporate interiors and historic preservation to manage and execute projects that integrate the three disciplines. She has served as an adjunct assistant professor at the New Jersey Institute of Technology's School of Architecture and as a visiting critic at both Princeton University and the University of Virginia. She is a member of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and is affiliated with the Partners for Sacred Places. Kracauer holds a bachelor of arts and a master of architecture from Princeton University.

At a Glance

The Fire Department of New York's Fire Academy facilities on Randall's Island include:

• 27-acre training campus with 11 buildings
• 200,000-gallon water supply tank
• Suction pit
• Heavy-duty storm drainage system to accommodate water from fire simulations
• Gasoline and diesel fuel pumps
• Tracks and two subway cars installed by the New York Transit Authority to provide subway firefighting training
• 300-car parking lot
• Helicopter landing site

The fire academy's programs include:

• Chauffeur training
• Collapse training
• Hazmat training
• Rescue school
• Rope/ceremonial unit
• First-line supervisor training
• Confined-space training
• Roof training
• Tactical training

Streetscape Essentials

• Variety of typical urban structures, including commercial buildings, stores, brownstones, private dwellings, tenements and apartment buildings
• Placement of buildings in appropriate relationships in the site plan
• Appropriate vehicular access, including limited approaches
• Stacking of buildings like a sandwich to allow for multiple training scenarios
• Exterior appearances and rooflines representative of the types of structures firefighters are likely to find under actual conditions
• Interior space planning that accurately reflects exterior building appearance
• Appropriate window types, stair types and hardware
• Contextually appropriate yet durable materials
• Built-in flexibility to alter training scenarios using simple modular off-the-shelf components that can be “demolished” by trainees
• Modified compliance with fire and life safety codes
• Appropriate street elements, including utilities, manholes, hydrants, lights, parking meters, propane-gas pipes and mailboxes