At WHP Trainingtowers, firefighter training safety comes first. That’s the reason WHP exists – to give firefighters a way to hone their skills without risking their lives doing it. That’s why training is so essential. The more often you practice something, the more instinctual it becomes. “Repeatability breeds familiarity,” said Steve Jahnke, Vice President of Production at WHP Trainingtowers. “In an emergency situation, you don’t want to have to think it through, you want it to be automatic. Our primary goal at WHP is to enable training for firefighters to make these lifesaving measures a default.”
Creating New Training Products by Listening
WHP creates training towers that mimic real buildings and prepare firefighters for what they might encounter during an actual fire. One of their most recent products was a combination of firefighter ingenuity and manufacturing expertise. “Firefighters are a uniquely innovative group,” Jahnke explained. “Sometimes they create what they need on the job and don’t wait for technology to catch up. Because we talk to them and visit them on site, we see what they’re trying to do and we can usually improve upon it.”
How The Leak Monster Came to Be
Such was the case with the ‘The Leak Monster’ “The HAZMAT series has what we call ‘The Leak Monster.’” Jahnke shared. “It’s basically a combination of different sized PVC pipes with valves and flanges on a sled.” Firefighters hook a hose to it to simulate leaking pipes, like the kind you would find in a damaged building. “I kept seeing different versions of it cobbled together at different locations, so I figured it was a piece of training equipment they really needed,” Jahnke added. “So I took the idea back to our crew to take a look at it.” The WHP group used their construction and manufacturing expertise to design a better version with steel pipes on a rolling frame. The new version also features valving and bypass solutions. “I had to create an app for it so now it can be controlled either manually or through a tablet or smartphone,” said Jahnke.
HAZMAT Training Props
Firefighters encounter all kinds of dangers, but some of the worst come from fires in industrial buildings. The HAZMAT (hazardous materials) team has to be ready for everything from exploding drums to poison gas leaks to flammable liquid spills. Each one presents specific hazards and requires special training to recognize and control safely. WHP Trainingtowers has developed a series of dedicated HAZMAT training props all wirelessly controlled to prepare firefighters for the worst case scenarios. They’ve even created a trailer system of HAZMAT props that can travel to different locations to reach more firefighters for training.
Reducing Downtime for Training Towers
Not only do their products focus on functionality, but they also prioritize reducing downtime. Jahnke gave the example of their burn wall system. “Our Padgenite Interlock™ panel system is super easy to fix if a panel gets broken during training. Just pull four screws and replace the tile – good as new. Not complicated.” With other systems, someone would have to call for maintenance from the manufacturing company, coordinate schedules, and wait for a service visit to replace an entire wall section. “It’s important, because you can have the best building in the world, but it’s not worth anything if it’s not usable,” said Jahnke. “We get them back up and running quickly.”
WHP has 40 years of experience and has completed over 900 projects. They have provided the fire service with more pre-engineered metal fire training towers and buildings than any other supplier in the world. “We are a licensed turnkey contractor,” said Jahnke. “Whatever these guys need to do their job better, we try to make sure we’re providing it.”
