We also have a floor collapse simulator similar to this at our training centre. It has caused a number of injuries, dislocated elbows and shoulders, numerous sprains and a broken wrist.
The jury is out if it is a good training tool. The injury investigations don’t really show that it is a technique problem with using the simulator. There is just a reasonable chance of injury in a simulated collapse.
We have stopped using ours as the risk of injury was deemed too high for the potential training benefit.
A 5 inch fall on a simulated machine does not in anyway translate to falling through a floor 8-12’ to the next floor.
Even under perfect conditions and expecting to fall that far, injuries are likely. In real life an unexpected fall, fire, debris, uneven or sharp hole you’re falling into. 50-100lbs of extra weight in your gear, etc, you can’t train for that.
There is no way to safely simulate falling through a floor. There are far too many variables.
In line of duty death investigations they frequently find the helmet and face piece get knocked off, legs or arms get broken on impact. There is no way to train for that.
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u/not_a_mantis_shrimp May 22 '25
We also have a floor collapse simulator similar to this at our training centre. It has caused a number of injuries, dislocated elbows and shoulders, numerous sprains and a broken wrist.
The jury is out if it is a good training tool. The injury investigations don’t really show that it is a technique problem with using the simulator. There is just a reasonable chance of injury in a simulated collapse.
We have stopped using ours as the risk of injury was deemed too high for the potential training benefit.