Columbia Groups Get Indoor Extinguisher Training
Local organizations and businesses can now schedule hands-on fire extinguisher practice on a new indoor laser simulator.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Language Learning
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The Columbia Fire Department has added a new fire extinguisher training simulator, the Bullseye, and has begun offering training classes to local organizations and businesses. The department bought the simulator three weeks ago, and some classes have drawn more than 100 participants.
Why it matters
Hands-on fire extinguisher practice gives people a chance to build emergency skills in a controlled setting, which matters for workplaces, youth groups, and care facilities that want staff trained. The simulator replaces a system that was about 20 years old and used real fire.
The Columbia Fire Department bought the Bullseye simulator three weeks ago, replacing a training system roughly 20 years old that used real fire. Some training classes have included more than 100 participants, and the department has trained employees at hotels, Boy Scout troops, and care facility staff.
The players
Columbia Fire Department
The municipal fire agency serving Columbia that now runs the Bullseye simulator training for local groups.
The details
The Bullseye uses a fire extinguisher fitted with a laser and a digital screen that displays flames. When the laser hits the screen, the screen detects where the extinguisher is aimed and begins to put out the digital fire. Because the system runs on a screen rather than real flames, it can be used indoors.
Timeline
Three weeks before publication, the Columbia Fire Department purchased the Bullseye simulator.
Since the purchase, the department has offered training classes to organizations and businesses in Columbia.
Education Landscape
The new simulator marks a shift away from the roughly 20-year-old real-fire training method the department used before. Community emergency-skills education like this sits alongside the broader trend of organizations seeking practical, hands-on instruction for safety certification.
Columbia residents can arrange training for their group by contacting the Columbia Fire Department at 573-874-7391. Schools, employers, and community organizations that want hands-on emergency practice may find the indoor simulator a practical option.
The takeaway
Hands-on practice with the Bullseye simulator gives participants a safe way to rehearse extinguisher use before an emergency. Groups interested in training can call the Columbia Fire Department at 573-874-7391 to ask about scheduling.
Further reading
For more on hands-on learning formats, explore Language Learning in Columbia.
Source note: This article includes information reported by KRCG.
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