This all started because someone wanted to make drill night more fun. I started my time in the fire service 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 feel like you’ve seen it all, the next call would prove you wrong. My life evolved and before I knew it, I found myself on the Eastern side of the county looking for a new department to call home. I found myself in a young, aggressive department, and now I’m the oldest guys on the roster. It wasn’t long before I realized there was still much more I did not know. All of this reignited my passion for this thing we call the fire service. All while doing so, feeling as if I abandoned the family I once had on the other side of the county. I began to find a way to try and bridge that gap. Being there watching cadets and juniors turn into hallman, it made me realize, there is a good chance I will not be there the first time they stretch a line or push a staircase. Now, how can I support these people in a different way? I found myself taking charge of drill nights at the old station, coming up with scenarios, doing searches flowing lines, but still wanted more. It’s not often anymore that we get acquired structures, burn days at the county are few and far between… those plywood dollhouses would be nice. After spending the time getting the materials, building it, burning it for a few minutes, I found it very underwhelming. How can I make this a little easier and more enjoyable for everyone involved. When I joined the fire service, we would go all out in drill nights to keep them coming back. Retention is an issue, this is cool, maybe this can help keep folks interested too. This is where I landed. The first couple designs definitely left some room for improvement. 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. Now 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 that the mindset on how or where to attack differ so much between individuals. This has turned into a great opportunity for line officers to discuss tactics and really show and explain what they do and why they do it.