Vacant / Abandoned Buildings Provide
Excellent Training Opportunities for Firefighters

Fire Departments across the country realize the importance of training in buildings typical to the ones they respond to.  From a small single-family residence to large commercial structures, these buildings provide excellent training opportunities for firefighters.

The Seattle Fire Department is asking property owners who may have a structure that is abandoned, vacant or ready to be demolished to allow firefighters to conduct training in it.

There are three types of training:

• Non-destructive (search and rescue training)
• Destructive (wall breaching, roof ventilation, etc.)
• Live-fire (from small room fires to fully involved structure fires)

The Seattle Fire Department needs abandoned / vacant buildings for these types of training.

If a property owner has a structure they would like to donate for use by the fire department but doesn’t want the building damaged or destroyed, they can request it be used for Non Destructive training.

If a property owner has a structure that is scheduled for demolition, the fire department would then use it for Destructive or Live-Fire training.

The best structures for firefighting training are ones that are not good for the owners – having low appeal for potential tenants.

Buildings that are most sought after are:

• Single-family residences
• Multi-family residences
• Apartment buildings
• Schools
• Strip malls
• Large commercial structures (i.e. grocery stores, hardware stores, commercial high rises, etc.)

Anyone wishing to help the Seattle Fire Department with the use of their building please call:

The Seattle Fire Department Training Division at 206-386-1771

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Last Modified:   November 28, 2006