Training rooms, fuel modules, accommodation blocks · steel for one job

Overview

The special-purpose family covers containers that are not stock cubes and not generic office or sanitary blocks. These are units engineered against a specific operational duty: a firefighter learning to enter a smoke-filled compartment, a police instructor walking a class through a tactical scenario, a mountain resort housing 60 seasonal staff for a five-month winter, a depot storing 20 cubic metres of diesel under ADR rules, a K9 unit kennelled outdoors year-round.

Tanax has delivered into all five duties from the same hall in Bánovce nad Bebravou. The black-finish trailer-mounted firefighter training modules built under the LION partnership ship to US and EU fire schools. The four-module ITCC Police Training Centre in Pezinok was designed, delivered, assembled and electrically fitted by Tanax under the EU Internal Security Fund 2021-2027 programme. The 22-container two-floor accommodation block at MELIDA Špindlerův Mlýn carries REI 30 fire resistance, EXC2 steel and a C3 paint system and is in daily use through the Czech ski season. The Slovak police service has bought hot-dip galvanised dog kennels under a 24-month warranty. Same welders, same FARO 3D measurement, same paint booth.

What ties the family together is that the steel is shaped to the job. A training container is not an office with its skin painted black. A fuel module is not an ISO cube with a tank dropped in. We start from the engineering brief, draw the build, sign it off at the engineering gate, and only then cut steel.

Construction and materials

• Frame: hot-rolled steel welded to EN ISO 3834-2, integrated into the EN 1090-1 EXC2 chain.
• Body: typically 1.6 mm to 3.0 mm steel sheet depending on duty. Smoke-rated and fire-rated walls use double-skin steel with stone-wool core to deliver EI 30 or REI 30 to EN 13501-2.
• Floor: diamond-plate steel for training and workshop units, marine plywood on cross members for accommodation, anti-slip resin or rubber matting on request.
• Insulation: PIR sandwich panels for accommodation roofs and walls. Mineral stone wool for fire-rated walls. The same insulation strategy used on our MELIDA delivery.
• Surface preparation: ISO 8501 Sa 2.5 in our own blast booth.
• Paint system: two-coat, rated to C3 corrosivity to EN ISO 12944. C4 or C5-M available for coastal and chemical-exposed sites.
• Frame livery: RAL 7016 anthracite (MELIDA standard), RAL 5010 gentian blue (CZ 25-040 standard), RAL 3000 flame red (HaZZ standard), matt black for LION-style training units, or any RAL on request.
• Optional hot-dip galvanising on substructure for kennels and outdoor exposure.
• Roof: sealed steel for training and fuel units; PIR sandwich panel for accommodation.

Dimensions and tolerances

There is no single dimensional sheet for the special-purpose family because the duty drives the envelope. Reference projects:

| Project type | External L × W × H | Internal height | Notes | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | MELIDA staff accommodation | 6058 × 2990 × 2800 mm | 2500 mm | Wider than ISO. 22 cells stacked two-floor. | | ITCC police training | Multiple modules, on plan | On plan | Architectural design supplied. | | LION firefighter training | Trailer-mounted, mobile | On plan | Black matt finish, diamond-plate floor. | | Fuel module | 20 ft footprint | On plan | Double-skin bund, ATEX zoning on request. | | Dog kennel | On plan | On plan | Hot-dip galvanised steel. |

All builds are dimensioned with the FARO Arm Prime 10 at final QA so the assembled structure ships within drawing tolerance. For accommodation and training rooms the EN 1090 EXC2 dimensional tolerances apply.

Certifications and norms

• EN 1090-1 EXC2 (execution class for steel structures)
• EN ISO 3834-2 (welding production-level)
• EN ISO 9606 welder qualification (MAG 135 and family)
• ISO 8501 Sa 2.5 (surface preparation)
• EN ISO 12944 C3, C4, C5-M as ordered (corrosivity protection)
• EN 13501-2 fire classification: EI 30 and REI 30 on request, higher ratings under engineering review
• PN-HD 60364 low-voltage electrical
• ATEX 2014/34/EU zoning concept for fuel modules on request
• ADR / UN approval pathway for transportable fuel units via certified tank partners
• ISO 9001 quality, ISO 14001 environmental
• AQAP 2110:2017 (NATO QA) where the unit is delivered into a defence chain
• NSPA CAGE 4094M for NATO procurement routing

Typical use cases

1. Firefighter training modules (LION partnership). Black-finish trailer-mounted units with diamond-plate flooring and smoke-rated structure. Used for SCBA confidence, mask drills, search and rescue, fire attack and ventilation training in US and EU fire schools. Bilateral B2G and B2B partnership: US deliveries are active, EU markets are ramping.
2. Police and security training facilities. Multi-module training rooms for tactical drills, instruction theatres, observation rooms and equipment storage. Reference delivery: the four-module ITCC Police Training Centre in Pezinok, Slovakia. Tanax supplied architectural design, delivery, on-site assembly, electrical installation, HVAC and camera preparation. Funded under EU Internal Security Fund (ISF) 2021-2027.
3. Staff accommodation for resorts and seasonal sites. Two-floor stacked cells with REI 30 fire resistance, electric heating, 2.6 kW air-conditioning per cell. Reference delivery: 22 cells at MELIDA Špindlerův Mlýn, Czech Republic. Wider than ISO at 2990 mm external to give a comfortable internal living width and 2500 mm clear height.
4. Fuel storage and dispensing modules. Double-skin steel bund, ATEX zoning concept, UN T3 grade tank where the unit is transportable. Used on construction sites, military forward operating sites and remote depots. Often integrated with HaZZ-livery delivery for fire and rescue service refuelling support.
5. Police dog kennels. Hot-dip galvanised steel structure, outdoor year-round duty, 24-month warranty. Delivered to the Slovak police service.
6. Mobile workshops. Workshop fit-out on an ISO frame: workbench, tool storage, 230 V or 400 V three-phase electrical, compressed air, LED task lighting. Trailer-mounted or skid-mounted.
7. Emergency accommodation under public framework. Reference delivery: 19 units for the CZ 25-040 emergency accommodation tender, EXC2 steel, EI 30 fire resistance, PIR sandwich roof, RAL 5010 frame. Bid submitted November 2025.

Customisation options

• Fire performance: EI 30 or REI 30 walls and roof, fire-rated doors, intumescent paint on structural elements.
• Smoke rating for training units: double-skin steel with stone-wool core, sealed seams, ventilation hatches for instructor control.
• Floor: diamond-plate steel, anti-slip resin, chequer plate, marine plywood, rubber matting.
• Electrical: standard 230 V single phase, 400 V three phase, ATEX-zoned for fuel modules, camera and CCTV pre-wiring for training and security applications, PN-HD 60364 throughout.
• HVAC: split AC 2.6 kW per cell (MELIDA baseline), packaged AC, electric heating, gas heating where the site permits.
• Doors: insulated personnel doors, REI-rated fire doors, roller shutters for workshops, double-leaf for equipment access.
• Windows: thermally broken aluminium frames, security glass, bars where the duty requires.
• Livery: RAL 7016 (MELIDA), RAL 5010 (CZ 25-040), RAL 3000 (HaZZ), matt black (LION), or any RAL.
• Mobility: skid-mounted, trailer-mounted, or stationary with ISO corner castings for crane handling.
• Stacking: ISO 1CC corner castings on request so accommodation cells can be stacked under ISO 3874 lashing logic, as on the MELIDA two-floor build.

Lead time and delivery

• Engineering-light variants (kennels, simple fuel modules, single training rooms): 8 to 12 weeks ex works.
• Engineering-heavy variants (multi-module training centres, multi-cell accommodation, fire-rated builds with EI 30 or REI 30 certification chains): 12 to 20 weeks.
• Framework call-off: lead time held to the framework terms, as on the Slovak MoD ARMADA programme.
• Delivery on EXW Bánovce nad Bebravou by default. DAP and DDP to the site on request. CMR, certificates of conformity, multilingual manuals and where applicable CSC plate on handover.
• On-site assembly with our own crew on training centres and accommodation blocks, as delivered at ITCC Pezinok and MELIDA.

FAQ

What does "special purpose" actually mean here? A container engineered against a specific operational duty, not pulled from a stock list. The frame, wall build-up, floor finish, electrical scheme and paint system are all chosen against the duty. Training units, fuel modules, police training rooms, accommodation, K9 kennels and mobile workshops all sit inside this family.

Can you really build a fire-rated container to REI 30? Yes. The MELIDA staff accommodation block is REI 30 to EN 13501-2 and is in daily occupied service. The wall and roof build-up uses steel plate on inner and outer faces with a stone-wool core, fire-rated penetrations and intumescent paint on exposed structural steel. The CZ 25-040 tender is built to EI 30 under the same logic. Higher ratings, EI 60 and beyond, are available under specific engineering review.

Are the LION firefighter training units the same product as in the US? They are built under a bilateral partnership with LION. US deliveries are active, EU markets are ramping. Structural format is consistent: black matt finish, trailer-mounted or roll-off, diamond-plate flooring, smoke-rated structure for SCBA training, search and rescue, mask confidence, fire attack and V.E.I.S. (Vent, Enter, Isolate, Search). The European variant is engineered to the local fire-school brief and is traceable through the EN 1090 EXC2 chain.

Is the ITCC Pezinok project EU-funded? Yes, it sits under the EU Internal Security Fund (ISF) 2021-2027, the funding instrument that supports police training, equipment and operational capacity inside the EU. Tanax delivered four modules: architectural design, factory build, on-site assembly, electrical installation, HVAC and camera preparation. We can quote the same scope of work for other police, customs or border-force training programmes under ISF, BMVI or national security budgets.

Can a fuel module ship on a public road? A transportable fuel module needs UN-approved tank work and ADR compliance for road movement. Tanax integrates certified tank assemblies with a UN T3 (or higher) designation into a steel container shell, with double-skin bund, vapour management, dispensing pumpset and ATEX zoning where the customer requires. Stationary fuel stations sit outside ADR but still follow the same engineering logic. The transport pathway is confirmed against the destination country's tank approval before delivery.

How is the MELIDA accommodation cell different from a standard office container? Three differences. First, the external width is 2990 mm (not 2438 mm), which gives a comfortable internal living width and a real bedroom feel rather than a corridor. Second, the wall, floor and roof build-up is REI 30, which makes a two-floor stacked block compliant under the Czech building code for occupied accommodation. Third, every cell ships pre-fitted with 2.6 kW air-conditioning and electric heating, ready for plug-and-occupy.

Do you do dog kennels for police K9 units? Yes. Hot-dip galvanised steel frame, welded panel structure, drainage falls, lockable gate, 24-month warranty. We have delivered to the Slovak police service. The kennel is engineered for outdoor year-round duty in Central European climate. Modular runs are configured to the customer's K9 establishment size.

Can you act as a subcontractor on a primecontract we hold? Yes. Several of our reference projects run that way. We supply the EN 1090-1 EXC2 steel structure, surface preparation to Sa 2.5, paint to C3 or higher, electrical to PN-HD 60364, and we hand over a unit that drops into your QA system. Engagement model 4 in our standard set is exactly this: European steel and integration partner under your prime contract.