LAS VEGAS FIRE RESCUE
One of the many responsibilities of the Las Vegas Department of Fire and Rescue is to provide fire extinguisher training and fire safety classes for businesses in the community. Due to an investment in BullEx™ Digital Safety’s HotShot™, as well as the live-fire Intelligent Training System™, the department is now able to offer more comprehensive training to a greater number of people. Before using the BullEx systems, training was messy and time consuming. Often, we would have to exclude live fire extinguisher training from the class program, due to cost, clean up, and lack of space. When live fire training was used, it was done with a wastebasket and burning newspaper. This method allowed us very little control over the burn, which was potentially dangerous to us and the trainees. We could only offer live training to small classes due to the cost of recharging the dry chemical extinguishers and the extensive clean up. We were concerned about the impact on the environment, as the dry chemical discharge travels through the air, often coating nearby bushes and trees. Another dilemma was training people in how to put out different types of fires, as simply extinguishing burning paper is unable to simulate liquid, electrical and combustible material fires. Using BullEx Safety’s systems, we can now always include fire extinguisher training in a class. The ability to provide hands on training paired with the innovative system has greatly increased the number of requests for classes. We have had the system for less than a year, and already trained over 600 people, which is a considerable increase from prior years.
Upon researching extinguisher training products, we discovered BullEx Digital Safety. BullEx offers two training systems, the live-fire Intelligent Training System (ITS) and the digital fire HotShot. Both systems work by giving both the trainer and the trainee control over the fire. The sensors on the front of both systems detect where the trainee is pointing the extinguisher, thus altering the flame accordingly. The instructor can also control when and what type of fire occurs, with simulations of different classes and levels of fires. Both systems can be easily and quickly set up, utilizing water and compressed air extinguishers. The difference between the two systems is that the ITS uses propane based live flames, and the HotShot uses digital flame technology. The advantage of the HotShot is that training can be performed virtually anywhere, in areas as small as a parking space, because there are no live flames. Previously, fire extinguisher training would have to be canceled if there was inclement weather. However, using the HotShot, we can provide training indoors at any place there is drainage, or even outside during windy conditions. In addition, training takes much less time due to decreased set-up and clean-up time. We can also provide training on aircraft, oil and gas facilities and other places open flames are not allowed. Both BullEx systems offer training in class A, B, and C fires at different levels of difficulty, allowing us to provide better and more realistic training for our customers.
The benefits of switching to BullEx Digital Safety’s ITS are undeniable. Aside from the initial purchase, there is barely any continued maintenance cost. Refilling the extinguishers is a breeze, as all you have to do is add regular water and air. In addition, the ability to provide training during all times of the year has greatly increased our productivity and allowed us to take on more clients. By marketing the BullEx system we have attracted new costumers and increased our client base. Set-up and clean-up time has also been reduced, often taking as little as ten minutes each. We can now train as many as 20 people in an hour, and still include a comprehensive fire safety class. Participants in the class pay closer attention because they are more involved in the training. This hands-on instruction makes a lasting impression with greater confidence for the trainee that the knowledge of extinguisher training will carry over to an actual emergency. I would highly recommend a BullEx system to any fire department, training company, or corporation due to the cost, time, and safety benefits it has afforded us and our clients.
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