Department of Fire Services
Search, Rescue, Burn Prop
Bridgewater, MA
The Department of Fire Services (DFS) is in the process of transforming a former 18 acre, 9 building campus at the Old Colony Correctional Center in Bridgewater, MA into the new Southeast Fire Academy. One of the initial projects will be a new Search Rescue Burn Prop. The multi-story pre-modular prop will provide both a “clean” side for search and rescue activities and a “burn” side for firefighting activities. A new access road will also be constructed to provide fire truck access around the perimeter of the building. The estimated cost of construction is $1.6 million and the project is anticipated to be completed by Spring 2022
After completion, the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services (DFS) conducted initial training exercises for the new Search Rescue Burn Prop. The new training prop is intended to provide fire fighters and tech rescues with hands-on experience on how to respond to emergency situations during a life/safety event. Our design is intended to simulate a multitude of conditions that would occur during disastrous situations. Conditions include collapsed floors and walls, racked windows, pitched roofs and balcony and manhole rescue. Anchors mounted to the roof allow fire fighters to rappel down the side of the structure. Moveable interior walls allow for flexibility in setting up different search and rescue scenarios. Once set on fire, the interior of the burn side of the structure will reach temperatures of 900 degrees F before the blaze is extinguished.
The project is one of the first completed for the recently acquired 18 acre site intended to operate as a new training facility for southeastern Massachusetts. The master plan for the new facility will allow for future expansion and will be utilized by other institutions.