Fire Training Structures Made from Shipping Containers for Travis County

A few years ago, the Travis County Fire Department needed fire training structures to help prepare its fire rescue team. Falcon created container-based burn buildings that the team could fill with fire to practice rescuing rubber mannequins.

Falcon created the fire training structure using five 40-foot shipping containers. Joined together, cut-outs in the container walls make passages and doorways, allowing firefighters to navigate the structure just like a traditional building. Before each training session, the Travis County Fire Department can open or close the windows, depending on the training scenario.

The Travis County firefighters search and clear every section of the structure to find victims represented by mannequins that may or may not have been hidden inside before the drill. As you can see in the video, the firefighters only have about four feet of visibility. On top of the smoke and fire, the firefighters train in full gear, including SCBA tanks and respirators.

Carrying 45+ lb. of gear into a burn building is sweltering work. As we were filming, we were impressed with the firefighters’ capacity to repeat these drills all week. It was a great reminder of the work firefighters do for our communities. We’re grateful for their skill and bravery in an emergency!

A growing number of fire departments are using shipping containers to create burn buildings thanks to durability and cost. Shipping containers’ corten steel can stand up to repeated training exercises with live flames. Repurposing containers modified offsite keeps costs under control while leaving room to scale in the future. Placing uniformly sized containers onsite is simple, so it’s easy to add to the structure later, expanding the fire training structure.

Fire Training Structures and Beyond

If your organization needs a training structure or another container-based building, reach out to Falcon. We’ve got two decades of experience modifying containers and can help guide you through the processes to get you the structure you need. Reach us at 877-704-0177 or email us at Sales@FalconStructures.com.