While Chubb's fire lab has all the accoutrements of a typical classroom—white boards and rows of desks—it also is the sort of place that would cause the eyes of a child to light up—or those of any adult with an inclination to learn how cool stuff works.

Want to see the inside of a fire hydrant? Check. Eager to hear about the latest advances in alarms that can sniff the air like a bloodhound for the faintest whiff of the byproducts of combustion? You've come to the right place. Considering a wireless alarm system for your facility? See the latest versions in action.

Student at the training center, whether from Chubb or an insured, also should expect to get their hands dirty—because the lessons here aren't only theoretical but practical.

“Fire protection is a very technical subject; that's just the nature of the beast,” says Erik Olsen, loss-control property specialist at Chubb. “Giving lots of visual reference points is an important part of getting the message across.

“Our students can see what a valve looks like when it's opened, and what it looks like when closed,” Olsen continues. “And we can show them the different types of valves they might have in their facility. People don't learn by having codes thrown at them; they learn by getting their hands on the systems and, in a safe environment, making mistakes and seeing what happens when a sprinkler system actually goes off; seeing what happens when a valve is 99-percent closed—and how that impacts what they're trying to protect.”

Special Reports /

Fire Facility Takes a Hands-on Approach to Training

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