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DCOL 11/99 - PRACTICAL TRAINING FOR COMPARTMENT FIRES

HOME OFFICE
HORSEFERRY HOUSE. DEAN RYLE STREET
LONDON SW1P 2AW

To: All Chief Fire Officers

19 July 1999

Dear Chief Officer

1. This DCOL provides INTERIM guidance for brigades that may be considering the use of compartment fire training facilities using real fire to provide practical fire behaviour and firefighting training.

2. This guidance is based on current knowledge of developments in related technology and the guidance will be subject to change.

Background

4. In addition, there have been instances where instructor/student notes have been developed that demonstrate a misunderstanding about what can be achieved with these simulators. The result is that the instruction that is being planned can lead to confusion among operational personnel.

5. The attached guidance is not an endorsement for brigades to purchase 'off the shelf systems. Its purpose is to assist brigades where evidence from the analysis of their training needs has led to the conclusion that a real fire facility is a necessary resource to enable them to achieve safe and effective fire ground operations. Using prudent management and the principles of Best Value, many brigades will determine that it is not appropriate to provide a system 'in-house', but to buy-in the training from another fire brigade.

7. The Fire Service College now offers courses for fire behaviour training instructors.

8. The requirement for brigades to achieve effective training to control the risks to firefighters when dealing with compartment fires has long been established. The guidance attached to this letter will help brigades to achieve best value when considering how they may apply training resources to best effect.

9. Enquires about this guidance should be made to:

HMI Alan Wells Tel 0171-217-8072 or
SDO Martin Muckett Tel 0171-217-8521 or

write to either at:
Her Majesty's Fire Service Inspectorate
Horseferry House
Dean Ryle Street
London SWIP 2AW.

Introduction

The purpose of firefighting is to control the effects of fire in order to save life and protect property and the environment

Developments in the construction industry and in the materials used for internal fixtures and fittings have increased the possibility of flashover and backdraught in fires within compartments. The recent experience of these phenomena emphasises the importance of operational personnel being able to perform their role safely and effectively. In particular it is essential that personnel receive training to ensure that they are competent to:-

This document provides interim guidance to assist brigades in the planning and implementation of training to deal with compartment fires safely and effectively. The guidance is presented in the following sections:

Further, detailed information that should be used to plan and implement compartment fire training programmes to support!the achievement and maintenance of competence is contained in the following key documents:-

Brigades will need to make judgements about whether the provision of fire training facilities are 'in-house' or, whether it is more appropriate to buy-in this training. Not all brigades will be able to justify having their own system.

1. Compartment Fire - training needs analysis

Organisational and individual training needs associated with compartment fires should be identified by a systematic process that analyses:

1. The underpinning knowledge and skills derived from the national occupational performance standards, contained in the role maps(1)
2. The evidence gained from assessments of an individual's performance
3. The evidence gained from assessments of the performance of crews
4. The evidence gained from feedback from individuals/crews
5. Other evidence available to the brigade including:-

2. Compartment Fire - model training aims and objectives

As with any other training, it is essential that fire behaviour and firefighting training is designed to meet training needs which support!workplace performance in the specific role. This can be achieved using training aims and objectives developed from the relevant role map. This structure will ensure that the training given is likely to:

The design of practical fire behaviour and firefighting training should be role related and based upon the guidance contained in FSC 5/1996. The following training aims and objectives have been designed to enable experienced operational personnel to maintain their competence. Each of the training aims and related objectives:

Brigades will need to consider how the aims and objectives should be adapted to meet the training needs of the other roles. For example, Crew, Station, Area and Group Commander, and be adapted to suit the development stages of recruit training.

The training programme for experienced firefighters should be structured around the four training aims that have been identified as essential for safe and effective compartment fire training. Brigades should take account of the following model training aims and objectives when developing their own compartment fire training programmes:

NOTE:
Training in fire behaviour and firefighting should not be confused with breathing apparatus heat and smoke training. BA heat and smoke training has different training aims and objectives that are associated with acquiring the skills necessary to wear BA.

Well defined training objectives help to ensure exposure to risk is justified by the training benefits.

3 Planning to achieve training aims and objectives

The following checklist should be used to assist in designing and reviewing compartment fire training. For each of the bulletpoints in the Table below brigades should consider:

4 The purpose of compartment fire training facilities

Compartment fire training facilities support!the achievement of the training aims and objectives by providing opportunities for personnel to:

Practical fire behaviour and firefighting training conducted in a safe and controlled environment also allows operational personnel to contribute to their own safety(8) by developing:

5 Key risk control measures for all compartment fire training facilities

Brigades will need to consider applying the following key control measures when determining the provision of practical compartment fire training facilities:

5.1 The balance between training risk and training benefit

If, in order to discharge their duty under Section 2 (of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974), a brigade has to expose personnel to an element of risk on the training ground, then the Health and Safety at Work Act does not prevent it. The proviso is that everything should be done by the way of supervision and the provision of safeguards to ensure that the arrangements are as safe as reasonably practicable. The exposure of personnel to risk during compartment fire training must be planned and have a definitive outcome that supports fire ground operations.

To be realistic, compartment fire training must involve fires within compartments. This provides the potential for:-

These phenomena can be potentially life-threatening to personnel approaching, entering, working in and leaving the fire training compartment and must therefore, be properly understood by all those involved in designing and using the facilities. That understanding can only be provided safely using theoretical studies, films and observation of suitable small and large scale demonstrations that are conducted in a carefully controlled manner which cannot cause harm to anyone involved or nearby.

Individuals engaged in real or simulated practical compartment fire training events must not be exposed to the effects of a flashover, backdraught or rapid fire development that is either real or simulated. This is because:-

The compartment-fire training facilities themselves must be designed, maintained and operated safely to ensure there is no likelihood of a simulated or actual flashover, backdraught or rapid fire development whether by design or accident which could cause harm to fire-fighters engaged in a practical fire training event.

5.2 Training risk assessments

Once the need for a training event has been identified, brigades have an absolute legal duty to risk assess the training activity. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1992, requires employers to make suitable and sufficient assessment of risks to health and safety and record any significant findings. The Regulations and the accompanying 'Approved Code of Practice' give further detailed guidance on the requirements of risk assessment(9). A methodology to record the findings of risk assessments is provided in volume 3 of the fire service health and safety guidance for generic risk assessments(10).

The assessment for practical compartment fire training should, record:-

The assessments should take account of the external environmental conditions that may affect the operation and performance of the training facility on a day-to-day basis. For example, wind strength and direction and ambient temperature are known to have a marked effect upon the burn characteristics in some compartment-fire training facilities, and on the storage and vaporisation of LPG.

When assessing the fuel systems a hazard and operability study (HAZOP) should be conducted by competent staff in order to identify and quantify the risk of foreseeable systems failures. Appropriate safety action codes should be prepared, tested, taught and periodically reviewed.

A HAZOP study must systematically examine all hazards associated with the training facility. If done effectively, it will provide information about the consequences of:-

Compartment-fire training units made of sheet metal fabrication are prone to heat damage, particularly warping, etc: with consequent ill-fitting doors and window panels, etc, as well as the potential risk of structural failure. Heat from fires may also be readily conducted to the outside surface of the units with a consequent burn risk to those outside.

5.3 The competence of training staff

Careful consideration must be given to the selection, training and number of fire behaviour and firefighting training instructors required, and the period they serve in delivering the practical aspects of the training.

Student/ instructors ratios should be determined by the training risk assessment to take into account the level of prior knowledge, competence and experience of the firefighters receiving the training.

Instructors should be:

People responsible for the safe operation of a compartment-fire training facility during a training event, other than the instructors responsible for the conduct of the training event itself(i.e. maintenance contractors) must be fully conversant with:-

Their involvement in the regular testing, maintenance and cleaning of the facility and performance reviews will help maintain the competence of such people.

Brigades need to ensure that the people carrying out these activities follow appropriate safe systems of work and are provided with appropriate respiratory protection.

5.4 The provision and use of operational equipment

The level of personal protective equipment (PPE) provided and used during training must be the same as is provided and used for operational incidents(12)

All items of PPE such as helmet, tunic, boots etc should be maintained to ensure an appropriate level of protection continues to be provided.

Breathing apparatus, which is constantly in use in hot fire training environments should be the subject of more frequent periodic maintenance to ensure acceptable levels of reliability.

The firefighting equipment available to firefighters participating in compartment-fire training should be consistent with a risk assessment of a typical severe room fire and of a type currently in operational use by the students.

The size and type of equipment must not be reduced or scaled down to match the severity of fires and conditions set inside compartment-fire training facilities, which may be less than might be encountered on the fireground. For scenarios that include the potential for flashover or backdraught, 45mm hose lines and efficient hand controlled branches should be the standard.

Effective (radio) communication links between instructors/students and instructors/facility operators must be provided to derive full benefit from the training and ensure safety procedures can be implemented quickly and effectively. This will also allow instructors to calmly re-assure and instil confidence in students who, although part of a team, may feel isolated and uneasy within the constraints of PPE in an unfamiliar environment.

5.5 Physiological controls

Practical fire behaviour and firefighting training using compartment-fire training facilities need not be unduly physically demanding upon fire-fighters, and exposure times to achieve the necessary learning outcomes and training objectives can be relatively short and controlled. Nevertheless, all personnel participating in this training must be medically and physically fit for operational duties and properly hydrated before, during and after any practical training. They should also be adequately supervised by the trainers and checked for any after-effects as part of the training de-brief.

During this kind of practical training most fire-fighters should be able to recognise when they are beginning to experience discomfort and be taught appropriate techniques and actions to alleviate or control the discomfort(13). Additional research in this area is currently being undertaken through ajoint venture between the Home Office and the Health & Safety Executive.

Although there is only a requirement to notify the HSE of heat induced illnesses where the individual is unable to recover without assistant brigades should record and monitor all instances of heat induced illness.

5.6 Emergency procedures

Emergency procedures must be in place to deal with situations of serious and imminent danger that may occur during real fire training events. The nature of the procedures will depend on the nature of the event. It is vital that normal emergency systems are not compromised during training. For example, the use of ADSU's should not normally be part of any scenario.

Specific emergency procedures should be identified by the training risk assessment. Control measures MUST include:

Detailed guidance on the requirements for dealing with serious and imminent danger is contained within the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1992 and the accompanying HSC approved code of practice(14)

At all times when a compartment-fire training unit is being tested, prepared for use, and in use for training purposes, adequate emergency firefighting measures must be ready for immediate use.

Compartment-fire training facilities should comply with the HSE Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. In particular, the facilities should incorporate the essential safety features and physical controls necessary to protect the firefighter using the facility for the purpose for which it was intended. Adequate provision must also be made for regular inspection and maintenance of the facility and its control, monitoring and safety systems.

5.7 Monitoring the training environment

To ensure the operating conditions for fire behaviour and firefighting training facilities are as safe as reasonably practicable, brigades should consider, with the suppliers what training environment parameters to monitor. Consideration will need to be given to:-

Temperature monitoring of compartment-fire training facilities should be continuous and recorded. The temperature measuring devices should be appropriately positioned so that they can cover the two aspects of:-

Where sacrificial linings are installed to protect the main fabric of the unit, care needs to be taken with the siting of thermocouples because greater temperatures are likely to be reached due to the insulation effects. These increased temperatures might also more readily degrade the efficiency of the monitoring instrumentation itself.

To ensure that the operating parameters remain within acceptable limits, environmental temperature profiles should be compared with physiological measurements that are taken. The operating parameters for a fire behaviour and firefighting training facility should be clearly described and robust evidence used in determining the fire load, temperature levels, smoke obscuration, etc. Once set any conditions that exceed the normal operating parameters should be detected and visibly and/or audibly identified. There should be arrangements to notify users and to initiate appropriate action to ensure the safety of personnel participating in the training and the facility itself, these warnings may be phased to provide warning or abort signals. The integrity of these arrangements must be periodically tested and reviewed.

6 The legal framework

At present there are no BSI, CEN or NFPA standards, which cover the design, construction and operation of such facilities in their totality. It is therefore essential that individual brigades clearly identify their specific training requirements and ensure for themselves that the choice of facility design is able to deliver them in an effective, reliable and safe manner, through simulation or otherwise.

There are numerous technical standards that are relevant to individual systems, in particular LPG. However, there are three key legislative instruments that are relevant to the safe design, provision and use of all compartment fire training facilities:

6.1 The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974

Section 2 of the Act places general duties on brigades as employers to their employees to:

Section 3 of the Act places duties on brigades as employers to persons other than their employees who may be affected by the activities involved with fire training facilities.

Section 4 of the Act places duties on brigades as controllers of the fire training facilities to ensure the safety of non-employees in regard to:-

Section 6 of the Act places duties on any person who designs, manufactures or supplies any plant (e.g. LPG control system) for use at work. Under this section suppliers of compartment fire training systems must:

6.2 The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 1994 (CDM)

These regulations place duties on brigades as clients involved in the construction of any training building. Under these regulations the brigade has duties to:

In addition to the duties placed on the brigade as the client CDM places specific duties on four other parties:

Of these the most important duties are placed on the designer of the fire training facility, these require the person who designs the facility to:-

6.3 The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER)

The PUWER regulations were amended in 1998 and include compartment fire training facilities within the definition of "work equipment".

The regulations place a duty on brigades as employers to ensure that the training systems are:

In particular, regulation 6.2 of PUWER 98 requires that work equipment exposed to conditions likely to cause deterioration is suitably inspected. This is to ensure that health and safety conditions are maintained, and that any deterioration can be detected and remedied in good time.

Further detailed guidance on the requirements of PUWER 98 is available from HSE publications(15)

7 Types of compartment fire training facility

Experience indicates that there is no single design of compartment fire training facility capable of meeting the complete range of potential training requirements. Those designs that are currently in use can be conveniently classifiedby the nature of the fuel they use for example:

Each type has advantages, disadvantages and limitations. It is important to ensure that the type selected can meet the identified training needs effectively and safely.

Brigades must not lose sight of the fact these are compartment fire simulators, and hence the link between the actual experience gained in training and the reality of risks likely to be encountered in the operational environment will need to be made clear.

General guidance on these systems is provided in thefollowing section. More specific injormation relating to carbonaceous. LPG and other systems are contained in sections 7, 8 and 9 respectively.

8 Carbonaceous systems

8.1 General

These are generally configured and operated on the model developed in Sweden which burn wood and timber products, and were introduced into this country years ago by Essex County Fire and Rescue Service. This type of system allows the characteristics of a compartment fire to be authentically reproduced.

This system, using chipboard as a fuel, appears acceptable as a safe and effective training facility, if used in the way Essex has developed it.

Preparing for the burn can result in extended turn-round time between each training event within individual units. However, experience has shown that the training value is achieved by controlling the fire, little additional training benefit is gained by actually extinguishing it. In order to make the most effective use of each 'burn' for other teams of students. It is usual practice not to allow fire-fighters to actually extinguish the fire. In any event, the consequences of the inadvertent application of water need to form part of the brigades training risk assessment.

Wood fuel compartment fire training facilities are capable of producing a real backdraught, the intensity of which will vary considerably dependant upon conditions. When this type of compartment-fire training facility is used to deliberately produce a backdraught, it must be done for demonstration(16) purposes only. Every precaution must be taken to ensure the effects of the demonstration cannot harm instructors, trainees or observers.

The type and quantity of material used as fuel and the configuration of the fire, must be consistent to ensure predictable burn characteristics. The fire load must never exceed that which can achieve the training objectives and, in any event, must not exceed the levels calculated by the risk assessment. Only untreated wood and timber products should be used. No flammable liquid must be used to assist ignition or accelerate the rate burning.

Some metal fire load suspension systems can suffer permanent temperature degradation (load bearing capacity falling to 60% of normal) at temperatures above 400 deg.C (550 deg.C for steel). Frequency of use, abuse, and weakening of anchorage points may also cause critical problems where design parameters are exceeded or where inspection and maintenance is ineffective.

9 LPG Systems

9.1 General

This type of compartment fire training facility burns LPG through nozzles arranged to simulate flame patterns in a compartment fire. These facilities allow a quick turn-round between each training event, consistent repeatability, more precise control of the burn and temperature.

The significant hazards associated with the use of LPG systems can arise from:

Experience indicates that these issues require a great deal of consideration before brigades are able to provide a safe training experience that has appropriate and beneficial learning outcomes.

Regulation of the gas fuel should be under the direct control of an instructor, who must only be able to operate the facility within pre-determined limits.

There are systems that do not rely upon human intervention to judge the effectiveness of the firefighting teams' actions. Instead, computers are used to regulate the gas fuel and possibly the smoke supply, by automatically running a predetermined scenario and detecting the nature and correct application of an appropriate extinguishing media.

Regulation of the gas fuel can be controlled in a variety of ways, including:

Whichever methodology is adopted the standard of safety achieved for the students'must be the same as if a competent instructor within the training compartment itself controls the gas flow.

The training aims and objectives must be considered when deciding which method of regulation is adopted. However in all cases brigades must recognise that the accuracy of the training experience is dependent upon the instructor's judgement about how well the firefighting teams perform.

9.2 System design

When designing LPG fired systems, particular consideration should be given to: