About This California Bungalow Fire Training Simulator
The California bungalow is one of the most common residential structure types on the West Coast, featuring wood frame construction, pitched roofs, and front porches that can complicate ventilation and access decisions. This training tool is suitable for company officer development, fire recruit training, and incident command size-up drills. Practice reading smoke conditions, choosing attack positions, and placing crews on a typical single-story residential structure. Drag and drop fire and smoke elements to build custom scenarios for station drills or promotion study. It is free, runs in the browser on desktop and mobile, and needs no software installation.
How to Use It
- Study the photo for a minute as if you were the first-arriving officer on scene.
- Drag fire, smoke, wind-driven smoke, and personnel onto the scene to create a scenario.
- Give your size-up report and initial action plan, then change the scenario and repeat.
Size-Up Considerations for a California Bungalow
- Construction: Wood frame with wood siding and a pitched roof. Older bungalows may have concealed voids in the walls, attic, and under the floor that let fire extend out of sight.
- Front porch: A covered porch can complicate entry, ladder placement, and ventilation, and fire there can extend into the roof and eaves.
- Attic and roof: Think about how fire could spread through the attic and where roof or gable openings are available for ventilation.
- Floors and foundation: Many bungalows sit on raised foundations with a crawl space. Fire below the floor can weaken it, so be careful about interior floor conditions.
- Lot layout: Older lots often have a detached garage or rear structure and little space between buildings. Think about exposures and where lines can be placed.
- Photo check: Before you decide on a plan, look at the spacing to neighboring buildings, overhead lines, parked vehicles, and access for apparatus.
Practice Scenarios
- Smoke pushing from the eaves with no visible fire. Where would you look next?
- Front porch fire extending into the roof and eaves.
- Fire in the crawl space with smoke showing around the foundation.
- Rear bedroom fire with smoke showing at the back of the house.
Discussion Questions
- What are your first three observations on arrival, and what do they tell you?
- How would the front porch affect your entry, ventilation, and ladder placement?
- What is the greatest life hazard, and what is your first priority?
- Which hoseline goes where, and what resources would you request?
- What would make you change from an offensive to a defensive strategy?
This tool is for training discussion only. Always follow your own department's standard operating procedures and local protocols.
