Heath Construction Builds Live-Fire Training Facility

Loveland’s first structural-burn building is Heath’s latest municipal project

The commissioning ceremony for the training facility took place on April 12. In order to celebrate completion of the facility and to demonstrate its importance in training, combustible materials were set on fire in two rooms of the new building.

Photo courtesy of Heath Construction

Northern Colorado-based Heath Construction recently completed a critical live-fire training facility for the Loveland Fire Rescue Department.

The $680,000, structural-burn building is designed and built to withstand 30 years of multiple, daily training fires.

“The addition of a structural-burn building to the Loveland Fire Rescue Training Center will provide excellent training opportunities for firefighters,” said Michael Cerovski, training captain for Loveland Fire Rescue Department. “We were fortunate to have an outstanding team for this capital construction project, including Heath Construction, the Belford Watkins Group, architect Don Watkins and Elliot LeBoeuf & Associates.”

The training facility is the latest in a long line of municipal projects for Heath, including Loveland’s $7.7 million Fairgrounds Park.

Heath has recently served as general contractor for the Platteville-Gilcrest Fire Station, Lafayette Police Facility, the award-winning Estes Park Riverwalk and a wide range of municipal projects in Fort Collins.

The Loveland Fire Rescue Department selected Heath to construct the training facility through a competitive bid process.

“Heath Construction built Loveland’s downtown fire station several years ago, and working again with the fire department is an honor,” said Randy DeMario, Heath Construction’s president.

The 2,000-sq-ft, two-story, all-concrete structure contains more than 254 yards of concrete reinforced with 20,000 pounds of rebar. It is lined with high-temperature thermal insulation and heat-resistant tiles.

Thermocouples monitor room and structure temperatures. Exterior and interior walls are constructed of masonry blocks, enabling the fire department to change floor plans without affecting the building’s structure.

The burn building will provide firefighters safe yet realistic conditions to train in hose management, fire extinguishment, search and rescue and ventilation practices. Fire fighters will face smoke, heat and fire in residential and commercial conditions as they practice entering a burning building from a variety of access points.

Cerovski said the live-fire training facility will be used daily and made available to other firefighting agencies and nonprofit organizations for training and educational purposes.