FDIC always provides a platform for companies to share new and current products and apparatus to members of the fire service, and 2015 was no different. While it would be impossible to touch on all of the items that were available to examine, test out, and compare, here are a few products that caught my eye.

King Ceiling Prop
The King Ceiling Prop, made by King Training Innovations, is a firefighting training simulator designed to teach and practice the skills of ceiling pull and overhaul by using the real-world feel and effort to pull conventional drywall ceilings. It can also be used to simulate wall breaching. The prop is made of lightweight, portable, durable tubular aluminum construction with powder coat finish and was designed by a Chicago (IL) Fire Department firefighter. It is height adjustable and facilitates training for wall and ceiling construction and the proper techniques for conducting overhaul, pulling ceilings, and breaching walls.

The King Ceiling Prop allows a department or training facility to pull ceilings and simulate real world movements, skills, and techniques in a safe, convenient, affordable, and easy manner. It can be placed anywhere one would like to train, and the design allows for a quick reset and realistic resistance when punching through with a pike pole. It significantly enhances training in a steel or concrete burn building.
Web site: www.kingceilingprop.com

Pros

• Real ceiling pull in a safe training environment.
• Affordable repeatable training.
• Customizable to reflect local building codes for wiring and mechanical obstructions encountered in ceilings and walls.
• Can be used as a wall breach prop.
• Easy setup and break down for storage or movement and fast reset for continuous, effective training.
• Can be used in burn rooms, training towers, or any location of your choice.
• It is modular and ships on one pallet to save shipping costs.

Cons

• Construction design has exposed rafters. This had to be done to maximize the support of the drywall/panels used in the prop. The designer found that there was no way to use a full sheet of material and support it in a way that it would conceal the rafters.
• Material used is 16 inches by 48 inches, which requires some prep time to cut.
• Time for production and delivery is between three and four weeks. Each prop is custom built when ordered.
• Prop requires assembly.