Story ID: 
Air-Care International’s New Facts Fire Trainer
By: Matt Thurber
Caption: Air-Care International’s Facts training division has added a new simulator to its stable of cabin safety training devices, an in-flight fire trainer.
Word Count: 161
Air-Care International’s Facts training division has added a new simulator to its stable of cabin safety training devices, an in-flight fire trainer. The mobile unit features a replica of a business jet cabin interior, made of metal so it won’t burn, with an enclosed lavatory, galley and cabin divan seating area. Each area is fed by vegetable-oil smoke and gas-fired flames controlled by the instructor; the student has to detect and put out the fires using compressed-air-driven, water-filled extinguishers. The fire trainer was developed so that students could get more realistic practice for smoke emergencies and fire-handling, instead of the typical blasting of the barbecue fire. “It’s better than the hibachi,” said Facts instructor Nancy Connell. Students also get to practice using smoke hoods, gloves, helmets and bunker jackets. Facts has placed the fire trainer at its Long Beach, Calif., training center and plans to add two more next year, in Morristown, N.J., and Dallas.