Vashon Island Fire & Rescue recently upgraded its search and rescue prop — a training space it uses for current firefighters and students in the fire academies it hosts twice a year.
In the place of two old shipping containers at the end of their useful life, there is a new structure designed to be flexible and mimic a residential three-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment, with a one-bedroom, one bathroom configuration also possible thanks to movable walls.
The 30-by-40-foot structure also includes an attic, closets and typical household furnishings and appliances, most abandoned or donated. Other real-life touches slated for the prop include smoke detectors that could be going off while people search, and radios and televisions that could be playing, contributing to the noise level. It is also possible to add sprinklers for firefighters to practice stopping water flow.