SPRING HILL, Tenn. (WKRN) — To keep pace with the growth of their city, Spring Hill leaders have signed off on a new state-of-the-art fire training center to keep community members safe and first responders prepared.
The new site is adjacent to the old site, which is barely a 20-yard-by-20-yard stretch of land near the Public Works Department. However, Spring Hill has spent $350,000 and dedicated city-owned land for the fire department’s new training facility.
The complex will include multiple training areas on the same site. In the past, only one training exercise could be done at a time on that small piece of land, but with the new site, multiple events will be able to take place on the large blacktopped area.
Some of the training areas include self-contained breathing apparatus training, structural firefighting, a fire dynamic pod, and a vehicle rescue training pad.
The crown jewel, though, is the fire training tower being built. This 49-foot tower will allow training for rope rescues from hundreds of platforms, as well as provide first responders the chance to practice elevator shaft rescues and other emergencies to prepare for potential high-rise problems.
Spring Hill Fire Chief Graig Temple told News 2 there are currently multiple buildings in the city’s plans that will be seven to 10 stories tall.
“It’s going to be a five-story tower, and it’s going to give us a lot of opportunity for rope rescue, confined space rescue, and also fire attack on multiple levels,” he described.
“How does this keep your city safe again and how does this keep firefighters smarter?” News 2’s Andy Cordan asked.
“We don’t run structure fires on a regular basis. Luckily we are a very safe community when it comes to that, so we have to train on it on a regular basis to make sure that our firefighters stay sharp, and having all these different components added to one site makes it very efficient for the city,” Temple explained.
When asked whether a facility like this makes Spring Hill a more attractive place to work as a firefighter, the chief said, “Absolutely. I think firefighters have the option of working anywhere they want. When you carry your certification somewhere, you’re looking for a well-rounded department, and having a great training division and having the ability to train on property like this shows that we’ve got that foresight and that we’re actually trying to make sure the firefighters are well-trained and safe.”
According to Temple, building starts this month. It should be completed by this summer.
