WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – KSN first told you in April about employees with the Wichita Fire Department working hard at building and welding a true-to-life training facility made out of shipping containers.
The complex is made up of 11 total rooms, which can help crews with the unpredictability factor they experience when arriving on scene at fire calls.
“In this case, it’s a lot bigger question mark for our crews that are training that helps them hone those skills that help them to answer those questions rapidly when we arrive on scene,” Captain Mark Misek said.
A traditional training tower like the two-room one located at the training academy’s grounds can cost upward of a million dollars. WFD’s new complex only cost a fraction of that as crews used their own skills to make it a reality.
“The training is going very well. The boxes have been a blessing, really,” battalion chief Kelly Ross said.
Conex boxes are used by fire services all over the country for training, according to Ross.
Every room in the 2100 square foot facility is burnable, making for adaptable, affordable training drills.
