HOFFMAN CONSTRUCTION

I work as a Safety Manager for Hoffman Construction, and our employees are often building and working with combustible materials. It is therefore important that employees be trained in using a fire extinguisher so that devastating accidents may be prevented. Before discovering BullEx™ our company was unable to provide hands-on fire extinguisher training for employees. The cost of renting and recharging dry chemical extinguishers was too expensive for all 200 trainees and the clean up was extensive. Therefore, our employees were only trained in knowledge of using a fire extinguisher, but never had hands on practice with discharging an extinguisher and putting out a fire. This type of training did not ensure that a trainee would actually be able to use an extinguisher in an emergency. Not only does the BullEx system offer the opportunity for hands on training, but the training is applicable to what an employee could potentially face in a real fire. The system allows the instructor to set the system at different levels and classes of fire, permitting employees to practice with class A, B, and C fires.

BullEx offered more advanced and sophisticated systems than many other options I investigated. Its Intelligent Training System™ (ITS) allows both the trainer and the trainee control over a live fire. The sensors on the system detect where the trainee is aiming and sweeping the extinguisher, thus changing the flame accordingly. The instructor can also control when and what type of fire is lit, and can immediately extinguish the flame should any safety hazard arise. Because water and compressed air extinguishers are used with the BullEx system, it gives the trainee the feeling of using a real extinguisher but has none of the associated clean up and refill costs. Trainees are now more competent with greater knowledge of fire extinguisher use and thus a stronger ability to actually use an extinguisher in an emergency setting.

Using the BullEx system for extinguisher training has had many benefits. Aside from the initial purchase, there is barely any continued maintenance and training cost. Having the system on the premises has enabled us to train new incoming employees, and train more employees, ensuring a safer work environment. Trainees now enjoy training sessions which include the live practice, instead of dreading a boring day of safety lecture. A great component of the BullEx Safety system is “time extinguished” feature that allows the trainer and the employee to compare the time it took to extinguish each burn. A BullEx system would be a great addition to any corporation that stresses about the time, cost, safety, and effectiveness of their fire extinguisher training.

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