Work continues on training tower

n Enhanced facilities will soon be available to the Siloam Springs Fire Department.

Photo submitted
Photo submitted

Firefighters of the Siloam Springs Fire Department will soon have access to a training tower that will transform their ability to conduct a variety of real-world training scenarios, similar to those typically encountered on the job.

Cost, history and timeline

This has been a priority for the department since its station on Cheri Whitlock Drive was built in 2002, SSFD Chief Jeremey Criner said. Fast forward to the 2017 city budget, which included $112,256 to complete the first of two phases of the project and accounted for costs resulting from things like site design, ground and dirt work or utility relocation, according to a city staff report.

Funding for phase II of the project, which includes the construction of the tower along with its foundation, was included in the 2018 budget and the amount budgeted for it was $650,000, according to a city staff report. Criner described the upcoming tower as an "invaluable" asset that members of the department will use to partake in an assortment of certain training scenarios that otherwise would be impossible.

Construction for phase I of the project is expected to be completed within about 30 days and the project is expected to be completed in full within about 90 days after that, Criner said. It is the first one to be built in Siloam Springs and the idea has grown in popularity over the years across Northwest Arkansas -- as Criner said that Rogers just signed a contract to build one, Bella Vista has similar plans underway, Lincoln has had one that is part of the Arkansas Fire Academy for some time now, while Fayetteville and Springdale already have them.

Facility features and training scenarios

The training tower will consist of two metal framed buildings, each of which will have their own stairwells and have floors made from reinforced concrete, Criner said. One of the buildings will be four stories tall and the other will be two stories tall. The four story facility will consist of a standpipe system that will be used to simulate emergency situations taking place in upper-level dwelling units, Criner said.

For the same facility, there will be a ventilation prop on the roof that will be used to assist department members practice cutting a holes in a roof, Criner said. At the top of the stairwell, there will be an upper platform which will be used for certain types of technical rescue training, like rescuing a victim and repelling down from the structure.

Perhaps the most notable feature for both buildings, however, is the "burn rooms." These rooms will allow for training scenarios in which firefighters will simulate a real-life response to a fire event by igniting a real fire, which will be possible because the walls of the rooms are lined with a special fire-resistant material called Padgenite, which is capable of handling temperatures up to 2,000 degrees, Criner said.

Overall purpose, future plans and additional information

When firefighters first respond to the scene of a fire, one of the biggest problems is that they have little control over, or knowledge of, the elements that could be involved in that fire, Kriner said. Namely, things such as certain materials that could cause it to spread, the structural integrity and layout of the building in which it's taking place, what started the fire and many other factors.

Due to this uncertainty, the training tower will enable the department to train its members in a setting where many of these variables can be controlled. These variables include, among others, the amount of and types of fuel used to ignite the fires, when each fire engine will be dispatched to the scene -- because they will be sent at staggered times to ensure they maintain real-world circumstances -- or the amount of air in the burn rooms while the training sessions are taking place.

Due to this ability to control a range of certain variables, a number of different scenarios can be tested to gauge their efficacy, or lack thereof. This is why Criner said he believes it will inevitably improve the job performance of his crew members, and also expressed his gratitude to those who supported the effort to see this project come to fruition.

"In a very controlled manner, we'll be able to simulate what it's like to actually go out and fight a fire," Criner said. "This is a project that's been longed for, for quite some time. Like I talked about a few minutes ago, I'm a very training-centric-minded individual, and our goal is to effectively and efficiently respond to every incident that we can be called to.

"The only way to do that, absent of going out on those incidents, is to prepare for those in a training environment and so one of the things that I did when I came here a few years ago was sought out opportunities (for this project's eventual development) and made this a priority as to how we could get it in the works. So I'm happy to have the support of the (city) board and (City) Administrator (Phillip) Patterson. He's been very supportive with this project and understands the value that there is in this live-fire training."

The department will hold an opening ceremony upon the project's completion for those interested in coming to take a look, and further information about that will be provided when it is available. Station One of the SSFD is located at 1450 Cheri Whitlock Drive. For more information about this project or other inquiries or comments, call 479-524-3103.

General News on 01/20/2019