It wasn't nothing fancy or at least in the late 70's anyway. It was just above the D&S piers maybe a half mile. The training structure wasn't that big about like what was used in the civilian world. IIRC it was one story I think two at the most but I don't remember stairs though. They would send us into it in different conditions including without an OBA so we could know how to survive off the hose if we had to. That trick got me out of a bad place one night. I was one on one and my OBA collapsed.
The most impressive lesson besides Forestall in Fire Fighting School was the grease fire demonstration. They had a pit that they set on fire and the instructor had a pole about 20 feet long with a cup of water on the end of it. A demonstration that showed why you do not use water on a grease fire was given.
When we were in the yards we sometimes got to train at the Yardbirds facility too. I think it was laid out more like a house though. I think I was involved in AMERICA first bad fire of any size. It was in a storeroom aft on the Hanger Bay. Another A-gang guy and myself were T.A.D. to Fire Department and discovered it. It had been going for a while. The heat transfer went up on the 02 level. No one got hurt but it took a while to put it out. The Barber Shop on the 02 level was destroyed due to water damage the 02 level also had a JP-5 day tank we were very concerned about and kept it cooled. The Barber shop deck was so hot I saw the floor tiles buckling.
You have more fire fighting experience than I. Never had to deal with anything uncontrolled.
It has been some time, but if I recollect at Norfolk there was a two story concrete structure with a little bitty stairway entrance room on the roof. This was used for OBA demonstration. The fires in the simulator were minor, you could see a battle lantern held up to your facepiece. I suppose they were looking for claustrophobia freak outs. Could easily have somebody stuck in there if the fire was too intense.
The hot fires were run in a single story structure (maybe two) with the fires let run longer and longer as the two day school went on. I recall running a lot with charged 2 1/2” hoses. That nozzle work is team work, for a fact.
Only had my last 16 months aboard ship, the rest of my time was “brown water” or mud, mostly. Certainly rear echelon enough, here I am.
Looking back I think that those Fleet guys thought I was a bit crazy. Mostly I was just tired.