This all started because someone wanted to make drill night more fun. 

I’m a firefighter who took what I’ve learned from engineering spacecraft during the day and put it to work building better tools for the fireground. The goal was straightforward: build solid, hands-on training props that help firefighters think through problems, talk through decisions, and perform the way they need to when under pressure.

I began my fire service career on the western side of Allegheny County. It was there I began to fall in love with the fire service and the brotherhood that comes with it. Just when you think you have seen it all, the next call proves you wrong.

Life eventually moved me to the eastern side of the county, where I joined a young and aggressive department. Before I knew it, I went from being one of the newer members to one of the oldest guys on the roster. With that came some perspective that the more experience you gain, the more you realize there is still to learn.  All of this reignited my passion for this thing we call the fire service. At the same time, I wanted to feel connected to the department I left behind. I had watched cadets grow into firefighters. I knew I might not be there the first time they stretched a line down a hallway or pushed up a staircase, but wanted to find a way to keep supporting them even from a distance.

I found myself taking charge of drill nights at the old station, coming up with scenarios, doing searches flowing lines...but I still wanted more. Acquired structures were rare, and county burn days were limited. The traditional plywood props took hours to build and only burned for a few minutes. So, I started designing something better.

The first versions were rough. Burn times were short and maintenance was constant. Adjustments had to be made. That design process felt familiar to me because outside the firehouse I work as a spacecraft engineer. My daily work revolves around heat transfer, structural design, system reliability, and repeated testing. In that field, small oversights turn into large failures. The same mindset applies to fire training equipment.

I approached these props the same way I approach engineering projects. Test. Evaluate. Refine. Repeat. Over many months of trial and error I landed on designs that could burn for hours, be used every drill night if wanted, and require minimal upkeep. Next was the fuel load, maybe I made it harder than it needed to be, but after many design and analysis cycles, we developed a fuel load package that is simple and affordable for departments to use regularly.

Retention remains a challenge across the fire service. Drill nights have to matter. They have to challenge people and keep them engaged. Realistic, hands on training builds confidence and sharpens instincts in ways classroom slides cannot. 

Now with the final props ready and tested, it’s time to have fun, see the smoke, look at the heat through the TIC, give your size ups and instructions. One of the things I find most interesting is how much individual mindset shapes where and how someone chooses to make the attack. The props create an environment where officers can pause a scenario, explain their thought process, and show why they make certain tactical decisions when it matters most.