Corporate History

Corporate History

The Evolution of Fire Extinguisher Training

In the early 1990s fire simulation was just an idea. Resources like the Internet weren't yet available to the public; offices couldn't conduct fire extinguisher training sessions via teleconference or webcam.

Instead, fire extinguisher training was traditionally available only to a select few. Companies would appoint a select few as “first responders” and send them off site for live fire extinguisher training sessions - incurring extra training and travel costs .

But what if these appointed first responders weren't available at times of crisis? During a fire emergency, chances were that most people in a given office or industrial setting weren't properly educated on how to handle the situation.

Some companies could administer fire extinguisher training at each work site and could at least cut travel costs, but permission to free-burn in the 1990s was difficult to achieve.

Depending on the substance being burned, these fires often emitted toxic chemicals that threatened the physical safety of trainees and neighbouring companies. Ever see a live fire extinguisher in use? It's not an easy cleanup and it's expensive to recharge one.

Simply put, training with real fire was messy and dangerous.

Even worse, these real fires rarely produced a true fire extinguisher training experience as most of them were so small that any technique could successfully put them out.

There had to be a better way to bring fire training into the office while eliminating the costs and safety concerns. In 1993, Pyrosoft discovered it.