Big-box tactics, long hose stretches, air management and fireground operations inside a 1.65 million-square-foot-facility

INDIANAPOLIS, IN, UNITED STATES, September 3, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Misfits Fire Training Foundation, in association with Firefighter Air and Brownsburg Fire Territory, is urging fire departments to act now as only 12 seats remain for Dominate the Commercial Fireground, a rare hands-on training opportunity inside the HarperCollins Brownsburg facility before the massive commercial building completes construction.

Registration closes at midnight on September 6, 2026. Firefighters may choose September 8 or September 9, with the same program delivered each day. Registration is $100 per day.

This is not a classroom-only discussion about commercial fires. The day begins with three hours of classroom instruction at the Brownsburg Fire Territory Training Facility, then moves into the last portion of the HarperCollins building currently under construction, a short 10-minute drive from the classroom training.

At approximately 1.65 million-square-feet, the facility represents the scale, and complexity firefighters increasingly encounter as Indiana and other states add mega-warehouses, logistics centers, and distribution operations. Long travel distances, extended hose stretches, large-diameter hose operations, limited visibility, high fuel loads, and significant demands on personnel and firefighter air supply can quickly turn a commercial fire into a major incident.

The setting gives firefighters something most training environments cannot: access to a large commercial structure before it is occupied, when building features and construction methods can be studied without the normal operational constraints of an active facility.

“The most valuable time to understand a building is before the emergency occurs,” said Jeff Kish, President of the Misfits Fire Training Foundation. “This opportunity allows firefighters to study the structure, consider access and movement, and connect those observations to practical tactics before they are forced to make high-risk decisions during an incident.”

Training will be led by Capt. Clark Lamping, a 28-year veteran and 16-year captain with the Clark County (Nev.) Fire Department, joined by a nationally recognized instructional team including Captain Jimmy Davis of the Chicago Fire Department, Andy Plofkin of Elkhart Brass, BC Kyle Smith of Cobb County Fire & Emergency Services in Georgia, Adam Vanderfeyst of the Detroit Fire Department and Ed Collett.

“According to John Norman’s Fire Officers Handbook of Tactics, 4th Edition, four firefighters die for every 100,000 residential fires, compared with 16 firefighter deaths for every 100,000 commercial structure fires,” said Lamping. “A big-box fire punishes every assumption a crew makes about distance, access, and time. When the building is large, complex, and changing faster than the plan, firefighters cannot afford to learn its problems while the fire is already working against them. This training gives crews the knowledge, tools, and hands-on experience to make better decisions before the alarm ever sounds.”

The program also emphasizes the relationship between pre-incident building knowledge and firefighter air management. In large-area commercial structures, air supply, travel distance, interior fire attack, and crew endurance are connected operational concerns, not separate training topics.

“Firefighters should not have to meet a building for the first time when lives are already at risk,” said Mike Gagliano, President of Firefighter Air. “Being allowed inside before this facility opens gives crews a rare chance to see the distances, understand the challenges, and prepare for the decisions that can determine whether everyone makes it home. The best time to learn a building is before the alarm, not after it.”

Seats are intentionally limited to maximize instructor engagement and practical participation. With only 12 seats remaining, departments should register before the September 6 deadline.

Firefighters interested in attending should register before midnight on September 6, select September 8 or September 9 and reserve one of the remaining seats, visit https://bit.ly/4qrEHZ7. The registration fee is $100.

Event details: Dominate the Commercial Fireground, Brownsburg, IN
Classroom: Brownsburg Fire Territory Headquarters and Training Facility, 470 E. Northfield Drive, Brownsburg, IN 46112
Hands-On Training: HarperCollins Brownsburg, Facility, 9145 Harper Collings Way, Brownsburg, IN

About Misfits Fire Training Foundation

Misfits Fire Training Foundation organizes practical, firefighter-focused training opportunities designed to strengthen operational skills and prepare emergency responders for the conditions they may encounter on the fireground.

About Firefighter Air

Firefighter Air advocates for firefighter air safety through education, training, and awareness focused on air management strategies, air-resupply tactics, and technologies that help preserve the interior fire attack. As warehouses, distribution centers, and other large-area commercial structures continue to grow in scale and complexity, Firefighter Air provides firefighters with the training, education, and resources needed to manage air supply and sustain operational effectiveness in today’s largest and most demanding structures.

Shawn Longerich
Firefighter Air Coalition
+1 317-690-2542
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