STATE GRANT IMPROVES HOMELAND SECURITY/EMERGENCY SERVICES TRAINING; CONSTRUCTION BEGINS SOON IN EMMETSBURG

A grant approved by last year’s legislature means area First Responders will receive improved training in this region.

The Regional Emergency Response Training Center was approved for the Emmetsburg Campus. It will be built on the northwest side of campus.

The 2006 legislature approved funding for 11 centers in the state – with the Emmetsburg location the only one in northwest Iowa.

Bids for the project were approved by the Iowa Lakes Board of Trustees at their March meeting. The money allocated by the legislature will cover the cost of the building, plus some nice upgrades.

The facility will have an enhanced wall surface which will extend the life of the building.

In addition, residents of that area of town will be pleased to hear that this facility will get its own water main extension, which will greatly reduce the fire training impact of occasional ‘colored’ water. Now, the water main extension will bring water from the north edge of the campus and greatly reduce the impact on the quality of the water in that part of town.

The training center will be built with the latest equipment and technology inside.

"Our specifications to contractors call for moveable walls on the interior," said Delaine Hiney, Executive Director of Facilities Management for the college. "Depending on the type of training the personnel want to conduct, they can adapt the building so that they can educate staff on the best way to get a person down a set of stairs or the preferred method for running a fire hose inside a building."

Some of the other features of the building include: three-story tower for first responders to practice rappelling and life saving skills from a rooftop; a residential section with a varied pitch roof  and the ability to practice attic ventilation during a fire; and a single story unit that will house the larger burn room.  There are movable wall partitions so first responders may change the configuration of the facility and staircases that will help enhance fire fighters hose work skills and help First Responders hone lifesaving skills. 

The Training Center will likely bring tourism to town.

"We expect to host a good number of fire departments, emergency medical personnel and law enforcement officers at this training facility," said Tom Brotherton, Executive Dean of the Emmetsburg campus. "Obviously, like any events center or tourist attraction, those people who come into the community will have a positive impact on economic development."

On some days a controlled fire will burn in two specially constructed rooms within the building to recreate what fire personnel face at a real blaze. Because of these special rooms and the ability of the facility to hold the heat and smoke within the building, it only requires a very small fire to get the effect needed. The facility will closely monitor the amount of smoke and heat. Similar facilities like the one planned in Emmetsburg report that the smoke quickly dissipates.

Construction will begin sometime this spring. It is expected to take 180 days for construction of the building that will be 30 feet tall. Christensen Construction of Estherville was the low bidder for the building project. ABC Construction of Estherville will complete the water main extension project.

Once complete, students in the Landscape and Turfgrass program at the college will put the finishing touches on the building by landscaping the property around the facility.