South Australians will have increased protection against the threat of fire as MFS personnel strengthen their expert skills at the new state-of-the-art Structural Firefighting Training Facility.
It's the first of its kind in Australia, proudly delivered by the Marshall Liberal Government.
The nation-leading facility at Angle Park – on Grand Junction Road – is a large “burn hall” containing 16 shipping containers to simulate live fire scenarios in houses, businesses and high-rise buildings.
Minister for Emergency Services Vincent Tarzia said South Australians will see unprecedented benefit from the $4.3 million facility with better-than-ever trained firefighters deployed to blazes across the state.
Today, Minister Tarzia and MFS Chief Officer Michael Morgan formally opened the facility – which supported 145 jobs throughout construction – after witnessing an intense firefighting demonstration.
“This unparalleled training facility is as real as it gets when it comes to fighting fires and will be well-used by more than 1,000 MFS personnel for decades to come,” Minister Tarzia said.
“Crews will battle blazes in homes, businesses and high-rise buildings simulated by shipping containers in a unique design not seen anywhere else in Australia.
“Without doubt South Australian firefighters will have the best scenario training in the country.
“Access to this realistic and diverse training environment is a one-of-a-kind opportunity for MFS crews to be better prepared to save lives and property.
“The Marshall Government has committed more than $67.5m in additional funding to the MFS since 2018, including $11.5m in this year’s State Budget for 12 new appliances.
“We anticipate the first new appliance to arrive in Australia this month and remain dedicated to protecting firefighters with investment in better equipment and technology."
Chief Morgan described the new facility as a “key asset” that is modelled on designs and learnings from international fire agencies.
“It is with great excitement that the MFS welcomes this new facility at our Angle Park Training Centre,” Chief Morgan said.
“This burn hall represents a great achievement by the many MFS personnel who contributed to the design, planning and construction phases of this project.
“The facility will help our firefighters better predict and react to fire behaviour within a structure. This will not only enhance firefighter safety, but also help crews to reduce property and financial losses for South Australians.”
A variety of basic, intermediate and complex live fire training scenarios can be trialled in the burn hall. The facility includes lecture rooms, purpose-built cleaning areas, a briefing and debriefing room, workshop spaces, equipment drying room, breathing apparatus compressor and cylinder fill station.
The facility significantly boosts firefighter knowledge, safety, performance, and helps users make quick and informed risk assessments based on fire behaviour indicators.
With an asset life of up to 50 years, MFS recruits will develop their ability at the facility while ongoing training and upskilling will be provided to metropolitan and regional MFS firefighters of all ranks.
The internal access points of the shipping containers can be re-arranged to achieve tailor-made training scenarios. The MFS will make the facility accessible to the CFS and other agencies.
Smoke from live burns will be contained within the shed, collected and treated to minimise the impact on the environment.
