STATE FIRE ACADEMY
The State Fire Academy is located just outside the capital City of Jackson in Rankin County, Mississippi, on eighty five acres. Construction began in 1974 with ongoing additions. This is an aerial view of the campus taken in 2007.
THE ORIGINAL BURN BUILDING
The original Burn Building was constructed in 1974. It has four levels and simulates residential and commercial buildings. Since the completion of the new burn building in 2006, this building has been converted into a self contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) training area and collapse rescue training building. The SCBA training area of the building will simulate collapsed ceilings, walls and floors.
FIRE RESEARCH BUILDING
The Fire Research Building simulates a three-story residential structure with an attic, and a commercial structure with a basement. The building contains over 4,000 square feet of training space and is equipped with four computer controlled fire/smoke rooms and a Class A burn room with a liquid propane gas fueled fire simulator. A four (4) story drill tower is attached to the burn area. The computer controls are located in an adjacent building. The project was completed in November 2006 with the authorization by the State Legislature during the 2003 Regular Session of the Mississippi Legislature.
DRILL/MICROWAVE TOWERS
The five-story Drill Tower provides opportunities for high-rise ladder, rope and firefighting operation. In addition to this tower, there is a communications tower erected for training purposes.
LIVE BURN AREAS
The Live Burn area consists of five large concrete pads designed specifically to prevent environmental contamination. These training areas include: a fifty foot flowing fuel fire (LP gas Christmas Tree fire); LP gas tank fire; LP gas tank fire; pump seal fire; twenty foot vertical tank fire with exposures; horizontal tank fire with an exposed small tank truck; and a three story evolution simulating a chemical processing plant fire.
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS TRAINING SITE
The Hazardous Materials training site consists of a large train derailment simulation with eleven cars. Railcars are movable and training site is piped with liquid/vapor propane for simulated fires and leak simulators.
LAKES
Two lakes are on campus. One is forty feet deep and is utilized for dive rescue training. The other lake is used for water sources for pump testing fire apparatus.
CONFINED SPACE TRAINING SITE
The Confined Space training site has over 9,000 cubic feet of enclosed area and a forty-five foot tower. The underground area includes vents and drains with several emergency entries/exits. A forty-one by fourteen foot water vessel is dry docked for the instruction of offshore personnel.
ARSON LAB
An Arson Lab allows furnished rooms to be constructed to show fire and intensity burn patterns for fire/arson detection.
AIRCRAFT SIMULATORS
There are five Aircraft Simulators to utilize while instructing aircraft firefighting and rescue training. A landing gear simulator is at this site along with a side-wall aircraft section used in training. We are recognized by the Federal Aviation Administration as an approved training site for this region. Students from all over the United Stated attend these courses for the required annual training to be in compliance with the FAA regulations.
TRENCH FACILITY
This new trench facility was donated, at no cost to the state or taxpayers, to the Mississippi Fire Academy. Thanks to contributions of labor and materials from: AGC MU President Bill Cox and Eutaw Construction of Aberdeen; Delta Industries/Jackson Ready Mix Mississippi Materials ConSteel Co. of Flowood Richard Rula and Hemphill Construction Williford, Gearhart and Knight Inc Greg Gearhart Structural Engineer Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney Federal OSHA Area Director Clyde Payne Puckett Rents Summitt Pipe & Supply.
ADMINISTRATION BUILDING
Other buildings on campus include the Administration Building in which offices, four classrooms and a full service cafeteria are located.
FIRE EDUCATION AND SAFETY AUDITORIUM
The Fire Education and Safety Auditorium will seat up to 300 people and is used for graduations and large meetings of the fire service. It can be divided into sections for a classroom environment.
APPARATUS BUILDING
This two story building is the Apparatus Building. This serves as offices for the instructional staff as well as all fire apparatus and vehicles are stored.
FIREFIGHTER MEMORIAL
The Firefighter Memorial is located on campus. The Memorial was placed here by the Mississippi Fire Fighters Association to represent all the fire service men and women that have paid the ultimate price within the State of Mississippi.
STUDENT DORMITORY
The dormitory has a common lobby area for students and currently can accommodate seventy-five students. An exercise area is located in the dorm for use by students, as well as a recreational area and a small computer lab.
FOUR NEW CLASSROOMS
MSFA held a groundbreaking ceremony for four(4) new state of the art classrooms on October 10, 2010. Funded during the 2009 Legislative session, these classrooms provide Mississippi’s firefighters with enhanced training opportunities in order to safely and effectively provide emergency services to their communities.
