The holiday treats are gone and the fireworks have lit up the sky. Welcome to 2026!
With fresh energy and renewed enthusiasm, we step into the new year and that means it is time for a brand new blog.
In 2025, we shared plenty of tips through our social media channels and blogs to help make training scenarios more realistic. This month, we take it one step further.
Practical tips and hands-on guidance are valuable. But perhaps you have been carrying bigger ideas with you for some time. Ideas so ambitious that taking the first step feels challenging. Or ideas you know could make a real impact, but that call for a bit of extra expertise.
That is exactly where we can support you. At FireWare, we do not just provide products to make training more realistic, we also take on full project-based trajectories.
Together with you, we translate a vision into a fully developed training solution that works in practice. From the first concept to a complete, well-thought-out solution. We think along with you, create alongside you, and help take professional competence to the next level.
Curious to see what that looks like? Below, you will find a selection of examples from disciplines where we have frequently had the opportunity to provide our support.
Wildfire
Wildfire scenarios are a type of staging we are frequently asked to support. They require a significant amount of equipment and, above all, a high level of flexibility. Wind can make or break an exercise.
In a real incident, a sudden change in wind direction is often a welcome development. In a training environment, however, it can mean that the entire scenario no longer makes sense. That is why, for wildfire training, we always work with multiple scenarios and set-ups, allowing us to choose the most suitable option on the day itself.
You can see this approach reflected at Campsite Bakkum in the Noord Hollands Duinreservaat, where we simulated a dune fire next to the campsite. A dense smoke cloud spread across the grounds, combined with a large-scale evacuation.
The same principle applied during the wildfire response exercise of Safety Region Gooi and Vechtstreek on the Bussumerheide. There, we used the FireWare BAMBI to create a safe yet convincing ground fire in an area with a lot of public presence and wildlife. In both projects, everything revolved around the same core idea: plenty of smoke, smart use of power and build-up time, and enough realistic stimuli to make cooperation and evacuation genuinely challenging.
Tunnel fire
Tunnel fires and tunnel incidents are just as common. Closing a tunnel is costly, so you want to use every available hour to its full potential. Fast set-up, focused training, and then restoring everything to normal in record time.
That requires thorough preparation. If you only start figuring things out on the day itself, it is already too late.
In Iceland, we trained together with Landstjarnan and Vegagerdin, supporting the Akureyri Fire Department in the Vaðlaheiði Tunnel. The exercise featured a long incident area, multiple fire sources, and smoke build-up that forced both rapid intervention vehicles to approach through smoke.
In the Netherlands, we were involved in large-scale exercises in, among other locations, the Leidsche Rijn Tunnel on the A2 and the Corbulotunnel in Leiden. These included night-time emergency exercises with multiple vehicles and casualties, realistic smoke development, and scenarios that challenged both on-scene operations as well as cooperation and evaluation. In some cases, the focus was on command level. One example is the simulated truck incident in the Leidsche Rijn Tunnel, where smoke and flame visuals were primarily intended to support situational awareness, communication, and planning within the CoPI structure.
Every tunnel is different, but the core remains the same. In a limited time window, creating a credible incident that perfectly aligns with the training objectives, and then clearing everything again before traffic needs to resume.
Multidisciplinary and platoon exercises
In addition to wildfires and tunnel incidents, we are frequently involved in multidisciplinary and platoon exercises. These exercises are all about coordination and interaction. Multiple crews, sometimes multiple services, with escalation, decision-making, and maintaining situational awareness as core elements.
Our role is to ensure that the incident feels large in scale, while remaining logically structured and coherent.
A strong example is the large-scale fire simulation at our facility in Wieringerwerf, during the recordings of the EO television programme Rachel valt binnen. We created a scenario that felt like a genuine major fire for the crews from Wieringerwerf, Middenmeer, and Wieringerwaard, with clear transition points from interior operations to a defensive exterior attack.
Internationally, we did something similar in the port area of Tallinn, Estonia. Together with Mohni and the Rescue Service Estonia, we set up a multi-day train incident simulation, featuring fire, smoke, explosion effects, and a hybrid layer using QR codes and livestreams. This required the fire service, police, ambulance services, and the control room to truly act as a single chain, preventing escalation towards a fertiliser silo and a potential evacuation.
Specialist exercises
Then there are the specialist exercises. Training sessions where one specific task or context takes centre stage, often with a high level of impact. In those cases, you want to train safely, while still keeping the edge sharp.
In the TGB Lab (Terrorist Incident Consequence Management) of Safety Region Amsterdam Amstelland, we created a training space designed to feel like a hospitality venue. This allows incidents such as a stabbing or a shooting to be trained in a realistic and controlled setting. Lighting, sound, and visual effects can all be controlled live by the instructor.
At Tata Steel in IJmuiden, we added a specialist twist to what initially appeared to be a regular firefighting exercise. A fire in a derelict building ultimately turned out to be caused by an XTC lab in the basement, suddenly requiring escalation, zoning, and a completely different operational approach.
For Waterschap Hollandse Delta, we developed a training programme for dike wardens on Tiengemeten. No fire or smoke, but realistic damage indicators, patrols, reporting structures, and safety along the waterfront. Last year, the exercise served as a baseline assessment. This year, it evolved into a full patrol operation with greater ownership and decision-making by the water authority itself, while still being developed and delivered in close co-creation.
In conclusion
Whether it is a wildfire scenario at Campsite Bakkum, a tunnel exercise in the Leidsche Rijn Tunnel, a platoon deployment in Wieringerwerf, or specialist training for Amsterdam Amstelland, Tata Steel, or Waterschap Hollandse Delta, realistic staging makes the difference.
Many elements can be handled in-house when a scenario is manageable and there is enough time to prepare it properly. We actively encourage that. But as soon as an exercise grows in scale, involves multiple disciplines, depends on technology, location, or external factors, or when you simply want the confidence that everything is right, it helps to have a partner at the table who works in this field every day.
We get involved early, translate training objectives into a scenario that makes sense, and ensure it is convincing on the day itself. That is where our expertise lies and where we are proud to make a real difference.
Would you like to spar about your ideas, are you curious about what is possible, or would you simply like to explore how we can support you without any obligation? Feel free to get in touch with us. We are always happy to think along with you.
Give us a call, send us an email, or just drop by our location in Wieringerwerf anytime.
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