Fire training facility now available for SCC, area departments
After five years of planning, SCC hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Emergency Response Training Center (ERTC) in June of this year. The facility is the result of a partnership between SCC, the Fort Madison Fire Department, the City of Fort Madison, the Iowa Fire Service Training Bureau, and funding provided by the State of Iowa and the Southeast Iowa Regional Riverboat Commission.
The $500,000 facility consists of a multi-level training tower and a burn pad. Trainers can conduct confined space rescue, high angle rescue, elevator shaft rescue, ladder training, extrication training, and live fire training.
“The closest facility like this is in Cedar Rapids. That’s pretty far to go for students who want to become fire fighters or for area departments to send staff for training,” said SCC Emergency Response Program Coordinator Tina Young.
Mark Wessel, SCC Fire Science instructor and former Chief of the Keokuk Fire Department, echoes the convenience factor and stresses the value of how having such a versatile facility locally will lower overall training costs.
“Nearly 90% of required firefighting and rescue training evolutions can be performed at the facility. We can now train more members at a reasonable cost. This is an all-win situation for the college, the fire departments, and the taxpayer.”
Students practice ladder training in full fire gear as instructor Mark Wessel looks on.
Located on the outskirts of Fort Madison, the facility is available for southeast Iowa’s emergency responders consisting of 500+ firefighters and EMS personnel, and 200+ law enforcement personnel. It will allow them to receive vital training to keep the public and themselves safe in the event of an emergency.
Wessel sees the facility as a great start to creating more enhanced programs.
“I would like to see us develop a recruit academy and offer combined training exercises for departments that currently have mutual aid agreements.”
Young said that the facility was put into immediate use after it was completed. “We’ve already used it for our Fire Science program and for continuing education training for current firefighters and departments.”
Young says that there are just under 20 students in SCC’s new Fire Science program.
“Now that the facility is up and running, we expect enrollments to grow as word gets out of the quality training available here at SCC.”
