Fire Learning and Safety Center (FLASC)

Hi, I’m JP, a mechanical engineering undergraduate student vested in engineering sustainability. As a fellow of my university’s Sustainability in Action program, I want to use my engineering background to improve the environmental stewardship of our common home.

Recently I drove on California State Route 4 and passed acres of blackened landscapes. Curious about the circumstances around the burnt trees, I did some research later that week. I discovered that in 2024, the Aero Fire had forced State Route 4 in Copperopolis, affecting residents power, air quality, and immediate safety. The entirety of the town of Copperopolis – about 3,400 people – were forced to evacuate their homes.

Inspired by this, I constructed a site known as FLASC, the Fire Learning And Safety Center. Located in the Copper Cove Subdivision near a town fire station, FLASC is both a practical center for fire safety in the case of a wildfire, as well as a center for education and learning for students on fire safety and prevention.

Autodesk Forma (Environmental Microclimate Simulation)

Autodesk Forma was utilized as the primary site planning and predictive analysis software. Centering the project coordination on the terrain coordinates of Copperopolis, CA, Forma allowed for rapid testing of environmental site conditions. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) engine in Forma was used to map prevailing foothill wind vectors. This allowed for site selection in an area with minimal risk of high winds which could become dangerous during a wildfire.

Autodesk Fusion (Parametric Modeling & Design-for-Assembly)

Once the environmental design parameters were established by Forma, Autodesk Fusion was deployed as the primary parametric 3D CAD, rendering, and animation workspace. Leveraging Fusion, a single 45-degree modular structural wedge was developed. The Circular Pattern tool was used to duplicate the wedge into a structurally sound, octagonal and circular shape. Fusion’s Animation workspace was used to simulate execute an exploded assembly view, allowing for better visualization of the structure.

Recently I drove on California State Route 4 and passed acres of blackened landscapes. Curious about the circumstances around the burnt trees, I did some research later that week. I discovered that in 2024, the Aero Fire had forced State Route 4 in Copperopolis, affecting residents power, air quality, and immediate safety. The entirety of the town of Copperopolis – about 3,400 people – were forced to evacuate their homes. A critically dry grass bed and strong winds drove the fire, with gusts exceeding 30 mph. Over 5,000 acres were affected within the first day. A few homes were destroyed as a result of the fire, and over 1,000 firefighters were called from multiple agencies.

The 2024 Aero Fire burned through 5,351 acres of Calaveras County, CA, temporarily shutting down State Route 4 and displacing residents of the town of Copperopolis. I decided to choose a place within Copperopolis that could become a center for wildfire education and protection, which being in a rural grassy area to recall the increased risk of wildfire in grassy areas. The Copper Cove Subdivision within Copperopolis was chosen after these considerations.

There is a fire station in the Copper Cove, so I chose to further inspect this location for possible spots for FLASC. A wind analysis was performed using Forma Site Design to find the wind patterns associated with this area. After the wind analysis, a spot on Quiver St was selected for its low wind susceptibility and open space.

Now that a location had been selected, it was time to get to work on the CAD. A circular octagonal shape was selected for the building, inspired by the concept of the Community Hearth. Symmetrical, inward-facing geometry removes hierarchy, creating an architecture of equality and security that fosters trauma-informed healing while providing a 360-degree defensive shield against extreme foothill elements, creating better wind flow around the perimeter of the building.

Wildfires are not only deadly to those in the path of the flames. Wildfire smoke kills many across the country. According to a 2026 study published in the journal Science Advances, wildfire smoke was responsible for 24,100 deaths across the US annually. Increasing awareness about the dangers of wildfire smoke is paramount to the health and safety of those across the country.

Thus, a central design of FLASC is the 3-stage air scrubbing stack at the center of the building. First, the woven activated carbon mesh filters out toxic gases and heavy smoke odors. Next, glass microfibers use HEPA filtration to capture airborne particulate matter generated by wildfire. Finally, electrostatically charged polymers extract ultra-fine soot particles and provide a mold-resistant barrier. In addition to being practically useful in the event of a fire, this air-scrubbing stack can be used as a teaching vessel for students on field trips in Calaveras County about how to prevent wildfire smoke related illnesses.

In addition to being a practical safety center in the case of a wildfire, storing masks, respirators, goggles, fire extinguishers, hand tools, and power banks, FLASC is meant to be an educational center for students about wildfire safety and prevention. With murals and diagrams, students can learn about atmospheric health, PM2.5, defensible spaces, emergency readiness, and next-gen fire technology. Thus, through FLASC, we can help form the leaders of tomorrow in fighting wildfires.

Through this project, I not only learned how to use many Autodesk tools, including animations in Fusion and wind analysis in Forma Site Design – I learned about the real dangers of wildfires and what we can do to create change. Thank you to Autodesk and Instructables for bringing this project to life!