Crofton Constructs High Rise Training Building for Hampshire FRS
Crofton Engineering, the specialist fabricator and installer of fire training buildings has designed and built a new High Rise Training Building for Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service. The new training facility in Basingstoke opened in February 2018.
The new training building at Basingstoke fire Station was commissioned as part of the project to rebuild Basingstoke Fire Station which was recently completed. The whole project is designed to provide a training complex that is fit for purpose for the next 50 years. Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service wanted to extend and upgrade its existing Breathing Apparatus (BA) training chamber to include repositioning of a new tower connected to the chamber.
The new building has been designed to fulfil a wide range of training requirements including ladder training and positioning, working at height training and training for rescues from height. It also allows scenario based training in combination with the adjacent BA chamber as well as Aerial Ladder Platform (ALP) training and siting. It has been designed for high rise building fires and dry riser based training and will serve for any other type of fire service based training too.
Image: Crofton Constructs High Rise Training Building for Hampshire FRS
Crofton designed and prefabricated the modular building at its Linton, Cambridge headquarters before shipping to Basingstoke for fast-track on-site construction. Each of the building’s six storeys was manufactured in two halves. The building features a dry riser, a wide variety of window openings, a central stair well, landings and half-landings, and a lift shaft. The High Rise Training Building was also been designed with link-bridges to the existing BA training chamber.
To fulfil Hampshire’s requirements, the service wanted a tower with different sized openings to add options when pitching ladders. It also wanted a shaft throughout the tower to practice rescues from height. For rescue from height scenarios, the building also includes platforms built into the outside of the tower and a balcony.
A dry riser is included part way up the tower on the levels where it connects to the BA chamber to enable hose management training and high rise fire training. The tower will also include lighting and floodlights as well as internal stair and raking ladders to each level. The service plans to mount aerials on the roof of the building for its turnout systems.
As part of this whole training complex, the Hampshire FRS will also have a RTC ‘pad’ to enable realistic training for vehicular rescues. The tower, BA complex and RTC area will be used by the station based personnel, as well as the wider North Hampshire stations and firefighters as training facility to enable competency based training and assessments.
“The Basingstoke High Rise Training Building is one of the largest and most complex we have ever constructed and gives Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service the ability to train for practically every conceivable building fire scenario,” said Glen Godfrey director or Crofton Engineering. “We have seen strong interest in high rise training facilities after the Grenfell Tower fire in London earlier this year, although this project was commissioned some time before then.”
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For more information visit the Crofton Engineering website: www.crofton-eng.co.uk