Departments that have recognized the value of live fire training facilities still need to consider many factors, and those factors incorporated into any potential facility's design.

The first questions to be answered are "What type of training will the facility need to provide, and to whom?" Some communities have maximized the value of a training tower by recognizing that it might serve as a training venue for other service entities. Perhaps the local police department or a neighboring fire department would be willing to share in meeting the expense of a facility if they too can make use of it for training. For example, St. Tammany Fire District #11 of Pearl River, La., in addition to having agreements with other nearby fire departments, has an arrangement with the FBI to allow use of the department's tower to practice tactical advances and simulate hostage situations. If known at the outset, such training needs can be much better accommodated.

When the question of who the potential users of the facility might be, and what types of training might take place having been answered, the next step is to compile a checklist of basic requirements. Such a checklist would include:

Certification. What certification will be required of the facility? State certification? NFPA certification? Will individual training criteria require specific certifications?

Safety. Many factors must be considered to satisfy safety requirements. Most roof and floor live loads must exceed standard building codes (100 PSF minimum). Wall and roof surfaces must be flat so they can be safely rappelled, laddered, and walked on.

Windowsill heights must be designed high enough to prevent accidental falls, and rake trim and windowsills should have a beveled edge so as not to cut or damage rappelling ropes.

Door swings should not be an obstacle in a passageway. Stairs should not allow for standing or cascading water, and stair platforms must be of a distinct profile as to give a different "feel" than the floor deck. Metal floor decks should have a maximum 1-inch recess to prevent personal injury.

In addition, attention should be given to potential trip hazards, which should be identified and eliminated. Latching hardware on burn room doors should be avoided, and burn room doors and window shutters should always swing out.

Tower height and working deck levels. During the design phase, consider the reach of commonly used ground ladders, average building heights in the community, and any rappelling training requirements. Knowledge of the most common street widths will help in establishing the best height for ladder crew operations. (Also remember that in training tower design, the roof is considered one working deck level.)

Number of rooms. The number of rooms a facility should allow for will depend on the anticipated personnel resources, that is, instructors, safety officers, and students. Other variables that will influence this planning will be whether resources will allow for (or require) multiple simultaneous operations, and whether engine and ladder crews and/or officer or incident commanders are to be part of a planned training program. Keep in mind that burn rooms may be used for purposes other than live burns and need not be designated for restricted use.

Room sizes. Determine the intended use of interior spaces and the number of personnel, including students and instructors, likely to be involved in a single exercise. Also include in planning the space to be occupied by any required props. Don't forget that search and rescue training generally requires larger spaces and exercises may involve more personnel than typical fire training exercises.

Material integrity. Training towers are non-insulated, non-heated buildings. The materials selected for construction should be those that will best avoid deterioration due to freezing and thawing or other weather-related conditions. Training facilities are subjected to more physical abuse than ordinary commercial or industrial buildings and these considerations should also be made clear to the designer.

In addition, much consideration should be taken when choosing a burn room liner. Since this is the source of most maintenance costs, a warranty by the manufacture should be required. The warranty should cover the material against cracking, breaking, and spalling. The longer the warranty term the better.

Environment requirements. As the design process continues, be sure to identify any environmental circumstances that represent challenges beyond the fundamental, that is, features that might not be necessary for the basic function of the tower, but that would enhance the training experience. For instance, if your community has a high concentration of garden apartments you might want to consider incorporating a balcony into your design. If industrial construction is prevalent, consider a caged ladder. If confined space rescue training is anticipated, you may want to include an elevator shaft, and so forth.

Plan for future needs. Make provisions where possible within the basic design of any facility to allow for possible future modifications. Planning for such additions or changes in the design stage not only makes such modifications possible, but also easier to implement and cost effective when that time for modification comes. Examples to consider include changes in tower height, changes in allowable fuel sources for the burn room(s), and future conversion of spaces into burn rooms.

Don't reinvent the wheel. As part of your design planning, compare the checklist you've created with features and designs of pre-engineered towers to determine if any will satisfy your basic requirements. Such a review can even be conducted online, and will highlight any unique features you have incorporated in your design.

Finally, it's time to convey your tower design requirements to an architect and/or builder, preferably one with experience in training tower design and construction. Vendors specializing in training tower design and construction understand the semantics of fire service terminology and, based on your training tower requirements, will create a design concept that adheres to your needs for functions as well as safety and structural demands. Only when you are certain the design accommodates all the specifics you provided should you accept it.

Cost, of course, will be a primary factor in the acceptance of the design for implementation. You may have developed preliminary estimates of a facility's final cost, including design, site, and construction expense, but the vendor should be able to provide a more accurate cost projection related to those aspects with which it is involved, based on your design's requirements. And when a completed design is presented for acceptance, you should expect an updated estimate.

Make sure estimates include not only direct design and construction costs, but also anticipated fees and expenses such as bond fees, filing fees, permit fees, costs for soil tests, applicable taxes, insurance, freight, and so forth. Be aware, too, if the design requires seeking any variance for local building codes, since a training tower is a "simulated" building