Fire training / 03 of 06
A municipal fire department's training division
Treasure Island Live Fire Training Prop
- Entero role
- Jovan: design lead, adaptive reuse
- Client
- Municipal fire training division
- Training space
- 2,500 SF
- Construction
- $500,000
- Completed
- March 2019
A helipad becomes a fireground
The Treasure Island Training Facility’s live-fire training prop began with a structure already used for helipad training. Working with the department’s training division, Jovan Blake led its adaptation for a different purpose: a place where crews could practice the tasks they face at a working fire.
The design used a shipping-container layout to represent building types and construction methods familiar to the department. That connection to operational conditions shaped the project’s purpose: the prop was designed around the kinds of environments firefighters would encounter beyond the training ground.
Hose work and entry, built into the layout
Two Class A burn rooms provide space for live-fire training. Interior hose-line management has 300 linear feet of space, with drainage incorporated into the provision for that work. Multiple forcible-entry doors and props give instructors additional settings for entry practice.
These elements bring fire attack, hose management and forcible entry into the same training facility. Each has a physical provision in the design, rather than relying on the presence of a burn room alone.
Training above the room
Several roof props accommodate vertical ventilation exercises. A roll-up door prop and a ceiling-pulling station add further fireground tasks to the training program. The facility also supports search and rescue, firefighter safety and survival, rapid intervention crew tactics and Fire Control 3 operations.
A place crews return to
Completed in March 2019, the prop helped the department achieve Accredited Local Academy status. More than 600 recruits have trained there, and department crews return for semi-annual in-service training. Its role extends from introducing recruits to fireground work to providing a recurring training setting for firefighters already in service.
A basement prop, added in 2026
In 2026, Jovan was asked to consult on and help design a new below-grade basement prop for the Treasure Island Training Facility. It adds below-grade capability to the training building prop, alongside the burn rooms, roof props and entry doors described above.
One reused structure supports recruit instruction and recurring in-service evolutions.
Clip · Firefighter facing open flame inside a Class A burn room
Training props designed in
- 2 Class A burn rooms
- 300 LF Interior hose line management with drainage
- Multiple Forcible entry doors and props
- Roof Props for vertical ventilation training
- Roll-up Door prop and ceiling pulling station
600+
Recruits trained
Since the training prop opened
ALA
Accreditation
Supported the department's Accredited Local Academy status
2x
Per year
In-service training for department crews
Project FAQ
Project questions.
Can an existing structure become a live-fire training prop?
At the Treasure Island Training Facility, the starting point was a helipad training structure rather than a new building; Jovan led its adaptation for live-fire use.
Which hands-on skills can crews practice here?
The prop accommodates fire attack and ventilation as well as search and rescue, safety and survival, rapid intervention crew tactics and Fire Control 3 operations.
How is the prop used beyond recruit instruction?
In-service crews return for training twice a year, alongside the recruit program that has used the facility since opening.
What were the project's size, cost and completion date?
The completed training space is 2,500 SF, with a $500,000 construction cost and a March 2019 opening.