The Fire Science Academy, a program of the University of Nevada, Reno (FSA), and an entity of the State of Nevada, is a professional institution specialising in the emergency preparedness and response needs of industry for over 35 years. Expertise includes reviewing emergency preparedness and response programs; safety management audits; developing and conducting tabletops, drills, and exercises; consultancy services; and training on site as well as at the one of a kind academy in Nevada, USA.
Unique to the FSA is its prop field, using real liquid hydrocarbon fuels and real extinguishing agents, which allows responders to apply classroom theory in a realistic, hands-on training environment. The prop field is comprised of full-scale replicas of equipment and structures found in industry, such as refinery processing units, fuel storage tanks, gas and electric motors, valves, rail cars, and over the road trucks. Realistic emergencies, including air and rail disasters, hazardous materials releases, motor vehicle accidents, and processing plant fires, can all be simulated.
Responders apply practical strategies and tactics in a team-based approach to mitigate the emergency. The FSA is playing an important role in preparing the world’s emergency responders. Whether an incident is the result of an industrial accident, natural disaster, or from terrorist activity, emergency response professionals receive
leading edge instruction in a hands-on training environment. Few institutions are capable of offering the intense and realistic training characteristic of FSA programs, so valuable to response professionals.
The Western Oil and Gas Association (now the Western States Petroleum Association), founded the Fire Protection Training Academy (FPTA) in 1972 as a fire school for the petroleum industry. Located in Stead, Nevada, the successful program was eventually donated to the University in 1984 as a revenue generating enterprise. By the early 1990’s the program had grown in size and scope and was eventually listed in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations as an approved school for industrial fire brigade training.
The Community of Stead also grew during this timeframe and the FPTA was deemed an “unwelcome” neighbour. Faced with closing the facility six months per year to maintain air quality, the University sought to relocate the program. Elko County, Nevada responded to the statewide request for proposal, donating the land for the construction of the new facility. Renamed the Fire Science Academy, the program relocated to its new campus in Elko County in 1999.
‘The Western Oil and Gas Association (now the Western States Petroleum Association), founded the Fire Protection Training Academy (FPTA) in 1972 as a fire school for the petroleum industry.’
Program Standards
The FSA relies upon the guidance contained in a variety of regulatory and consensus standards, safety laws, and industry best practices to conduct its professional training and consulting services. The following list is not intended to be exhaustive and other standards not listed here may also apply:
* API – American Petroleum Institute
* EPA – United States Environmental Protection Agency
* FAA – United States Federal Aviation Administration
* MSHA – United Stated Department of Interior Mine Safety and Health Standards
* NFPA – National Fire Protection Association
* NIOSH – National Institute for Safety and Health
* NTSB – National Transportation Safety Board
* OSHA – United States Department of Interior Occupational
Safety and Health Standards
The FSA provides a variety of client-responsive programs and services in the following core subjects:
* Industrial Fire Fighting
* Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF)
* Hazardous Materials Response
* Technical Rescue
* Wildland Fire Fighting
* Mine Rescue and Fire Fighting
* Incident Command and Officer Development
* Audits and Assessments
* Consulting services
* Emergency response training program support and recognition
* Training facility development
Courses and services are conducted at the FSA site, or at the client’s site – anywhere in the world. Programs may be customised to meet unique client needs. Most programs are certificate or certification based, 32 to 40 contact hours in length. Continuing Education Units (CEUs) from the University may be awarded for successful completion of many courses. The facility is designed to serve approximately 6,500 students per year. Capacity for off-site programs is potentially unlimited.
‘Unique to the FSA is its ability to simulate disasters using flammable liquid fuels.’
Primary Markets and Customer Base
The petrochemical industry remains a solid contributor to program enrollments at the facility and includes large multinational corporations such as ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, BP, Valero Energy, Shell Oil, Chevron, Marathon Oil, Tesoro Petroleum and the Dow Chemical Company. Many Fortune 500 companies utilise the FSA’s services and other industry sectors served include mining, power generation and distribution, pharmaceuticals, airports, manufacturing and government.
More than 3,000 municipal, volunteer and rural emergency responders from the United States have also been served during the past four years. Funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, participants attended a highly specialised course to educate public sector responders on countering flammable liquid emergencies with emphasis on terrorist caused events.
Props
Approximately 21 different props are used to simulate handson training exercises. Comprised of structural steel, pipe, tanks, pumps, valves and fittings, the props create full scale replicas of disasters involving:
* Airplanes
* Industrial plants
* Mining operations
* Railcars and truck loading facilities
* Underground sewer operations and other confined spaces
* Fuel storage facilities & pipeline operations
Unique to the FSA is its ability to simulate disasters using flammable liquid fuels. The fuels create realistic fire situations with the characteristics that would be encountered in a real event. The participants are placed in a true environment in which to perform and perfect the skills learned. The FSA is one of only two facilities in the United States that burn liquid fuels on this scale, creating the realistic environment associated with excellent training programs. Additionally, the FSA is an environmentally sound operation as unannounced regulatory inspections with no reportable findings have confirmed.
FSA Worldwide
FSA Worldwide is the outreach unit of the FSA providing programs and services to clients at locations around the world. Nearly every open enrollment program available at the training Academy in Nevada can be delivered to students at a location closer to home. FSA Worldwide also works with clients to create customised training to meet their specific needs. This delivery method provides clients with the opportunity to:
* Involve more staff in training programs;
* Keep critical staff close to the facility and home;
* Have courses tailored to meet unique requirements;
* Involve students in their environment, using their equipment, and procedures; and
* Save employee travel and overtime costs.
Additional services include program customisation, reviews and audits, program sanctioning and consulting services in the areas of program establishment and review,
needs assessments and facility development.
Examples of these of programs and services extending to locations around the world can be found in India, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and China.
Clients will soon be able to receive FSA training at two forthcoming off-shore locations. In the state of Gujarat, India, FSAW is collaborating with the Institute of Fire, Safety, and Disaster Management Studies (IFSDMS) for providing the Indian sub-continent with the highest quality training and services within FSA’s area of expertise. “A full-fledged training institute offering advance training on emergency response and management, occupational safety, and disaster management will benefit the sub-continent by providing proper training in these disciplines,” said Mitchell Baclawski, principal of the Fire Science Academy Worldwide division. “This institute will provide students with international exposure and students successfully completing FSA sanctioned courses at IFSDMS will receive FSA recognition.”
In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia the Fire Science Academy, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (FSA-KSA) in Jubail Industrial City, is breaking ground on its new training facility. This facility will provide professional instruction for emergency responders in the Kingdom and the region beginning in 2011. It is the first of its kind organised by the private sector in Saudi Arabia.
“The FSA is a leading industrial fire fighting center and has assisted FSA-KSA by sharing our knowledge and experience in the conceptual design and operation of an exceptional training facility that will serve the needs of industry within the Kingdom,” said Baclawski. “We began a consultation partnership in 2008 and have worked to promote the development of this hands -on emergency response training facility, which is envisioned to be as comprehensive as our own Academy in Nevada.”
On the horizon, work continues to bring FSA training to China with the assistance of An Tai Tong Heng (ATTH) Technology & Development, Inc. in Beijing. According to Baclawski, “we have been well received by our hosts in China, and we are positive about our efforts there.” ATTH assists FSAW by linking its programs and services to clients throughout China.
For additional information about these outreach efforts, or to learn more about FSA or FSAW programs and services, email your comments to fireacademy@unr.edu .
