What Firefighters Can Learn from A Dollhouse

Not all dollhouses are the same.

For firefighters, a dollhouse – sometimes known as Palmer’s Box – is a training tool that efficiently demonstrates the effects of fireground ventilation.



Through the use of dollhouses, firefighters can study smoke and learn to predict flashovers and backdrafts.

Here’s a guide to this helpful invention:

What’s a Dollhouse?

Used by many fire departments, a dollhouse is an inexpensive prop for studying ventilation, reading smoke, and managing the flow path.

Many years ago, P.J. Norwood and Sean Gray of the Stop Believing and Start Knowing firefight safety research group developed the original four-compartment dollhouse. With their blessing, these plans were then improved by their friend, Captain Matt Palmer.

Palmer added an attic space to the prop, with a peaked roof and a hole for demonstrating vertical ventilation.

Using it Correctly

To ensure the most efficient use of dollhouses in training exercises, keep in check the following variables:

· Water supply

· Wind speed

· Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) use

· Moisture content in the house

Before a live demonstration with students, conducting several practice burns is recommended.

What It Teaches

There are several important topics that can be discussed effectively with the help of a dollhouse, including the following:

· The phases of fire growth

· Under-pressure

· Overpressure

· Flow path

· Gas cooling

· Surface cooling

· Neutral plane

· Coordinated fire attack

· Coordinated ventilation

Having a thorough knowledge of these concepts will enable an instructor to use the dollhouse to its full potential.

When used correctly, a dollhouse gives students the chance to get hands-on experience with controlled fire and study its development up close. Once they’ve grasped the concepts, students can put on suitable PPE and be allowed to control the fire themselves.

This makes for a far more memorable lesson than simply teaching theory or going through PowerPoint presentations.

Applying the Knowledge

To the average person, a fire may look chaotic and out of control.



However, part of a firefighter’s training is to understand fire and the predictable ways it progresses. The phenomena witnessed in a burning dollhouse remain the same in other structures, whether residential or commercial.

Over time, with the help of the dollhouse, firefighters learn how to ‘read’ the fire. Knowing how fire reacts to action means knowing how to put it out.

This empowers them to make split-second decisions when fighting real-life fires confidently.

About Civil Service Success

For over 50 years, Civil Service Success has helped candidates successfully prepare for the Suffolk County civil service test. Their intensive courses & material prepare individuals for a range of government jobs, including NYS court officer and Suffolk County police officer.

Preparing for firefighter exam in New York City? Contact them through their website today.

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