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Saving a firefighters' training structure
from burnout

Val Jahnke Burn Building and Drill Tower Restoration
Houston, Texas

A unique firefighter training facility is exposed to 3 fires a day, 5 days a week,
all year. Our design solution keeps the facility viable to train future generations
of firefighters.

This training facility is part of the City of Houston Fire Department’s Fire Training Academy and allows firefighter trainees to experience actual fire conditions using fossil fuels. The fires were subsequently extinguished by water (thermal shock) that weakened the structure over time.

We were called to evaluate the structural stability of the facility after excessive use after 30 years of use. The fires were extinguished by water, which assisted with the deterioration process. Our repair design included a combination of spray-on and clay-fired refractory materials and two full-depth slab replacements.