Firefighters at Edmonton International Airport are exposed to the greater challenges of “live” fire conditions as they train in a new Kidde simulator, the first mobile aircraft training unit of its type in Canada.

The contract for the Mobile Aircraft FireTrainer MA-3000™ simulator, which resembles a medium-size commuter aircraft, is one of two such contracts that Kidde received recently. The second contract is with the Virginia Department of Fire Programs. Together, the contracts are worth several million dollars.

The new MA-3000 model for the Edmonton airport was updated to improve the ease of setup and maintenance and to include added features to make the training exercise more challenging. Aircraft rescue firefighting (ARFF) instructors can create different types of fires, in the cockpit, the galley, the bathroom, or the cabin, and they also can ignite fires in a wheel brake or in a wing engine.

The new simulator consists of three components: a fuselage, a propane supply and storage system, and a control station. In the control unit, training officers, sitting in front of a computer screen, can control flame propagation and blinding smoke, all at the click of a mouse.

“We really get to evaluate our response capabilities,” said Corey Schram, training officer at the Edmonton International Airport. His previous training sessions relied on a square container resembling a fuselage, and firefighters often would explain how they would address a problem without actually demonstrating what they would do.

Edmonton’s new MA-3000 simulator has a galley, similar to that in an airplane, where electrical fires sometimes start in the equipment that heats food and coffee. It also has an auxiliary power unit (APU) in the fuselage, a difficult-to-reach space. Schram wanted it there because “the techniques we would use to extinguish an engine fire are different from what we would use for an APU fire.”

Another major benefit is that the new simulator uses water, avoiding contaminated runoff, and it meets environmental regulations for emissions. As a result, Schram has more freedom in designing his exercises.

He also has the opportunity to offer training to dozens of firefighters from other communities. He can host training sessions for visiting fire departments, and, because the unit is mobile, he can take it to other communities.

The second contract that Kidde recently received is for an MA-3000 that will be delivered in early 2011 to the Virginia Department of Fire Programs, which manages the training and curriculum for the state. The VDFP took delivery of the first-ever MA-3000 in 1997. The new trainer ensures continuity of training in Virginia while also adding many new exercises.

To make the simulator realistic, it has two rows of seats so that firefighters, in thick smoke, can practice disentangling passengers who are strapped in, or they might encounter a passenger slumped over from a heart attack.

Additionally, new storage bins let the training directors create a “hot spot” that could give rise to smoke. For example, a flight attendant might say, “Something smells like it’s burning” but won’t know where the source is, and it turns out to be an overly hot laptop sitting on clothing in an overhead bin.

Too often, training can become repetitive because limited equipment makes it more difficult to create challenging circumstances.  “We don’t want students coming in and saying, ‘I know where (the point of origin) is.’ When the conditions are predictable, firefighters become bored”, said Tom Phalen, the aircraft rescue firefighting (ARFF) division chief at the VDFP. The trainer unit allows officials to vary the scenarios so that firefighters are forced to use critical thinking skills,” he said.

As the world’s largest manufacturer of fire safety products, Kidde’s mission is to provide solutions that protect people and property from the effects of fire and its related hazards. For more than 90 years industry leaders, the military, airlines and firefighters have relied on Kidde to deliver superior fire detection and suppression. Consumers will find that same advanced fire safety technology in Kidde's residential and commercial smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms, fire extinguishers and other life safety products. Based in Mebane, NC, Kidde is part of UTC Fire and Security, which provides fire safety and security solutions to more than one million customers worldwide. Headquartered in Connecticut, UTC Fire & Security is a business unit of United Technologies Corp., which provides high technology products and services to the building and aerospace industries worldwide. More information can be found at www.utcfireandsecurity.com.