Chillicothe Fire Training Center

In planning for a new fire/rescue training facility, the City of Chillicothe Fire Department solicited WSKF Architects to assist the city as a special consultant in confirming and conforming design/bid documents. The City enlisted WSKF as a trusted resource for design and bid management as a result of WSKF’s prior successful work with the Department in designing the renovation and expansion of their Fire Department Headquarters. The new training facility realized Fire Chief Darrell Wright’s long-envisioned goal: readily-available, multi-faceted training for City Fire/Rescue Personnel as well as mutual aid agencies and Grand River Technical School, the local community college. The new facility was dedicated in November 2014. The new City of Chillicothe Fire Training Center offers a variety of training options and scenarios including: Live Burn Simulation, Search & Rescue, Confined Space Rescue, High-Angle Repelling, Roof-Venting, Forced-Entry and many other training conditions. The Training Center is configured into five floors of training space representing a 40-foot high training tower with six different access levels for interior and exterior training. In addition, the Training Center includes a stair tower simulation throughout the five levels allowing for training in hose-advancement, fire riser training as well as rescue simulation. The center includes a live burn room. With the Training Center configured in a stair-stepped container assembly, exterior training is provided as well including ventilation, repelling, balcony access/rescue and laddering. With windows at each level, personnel are able to train for laddering and aerial platform access at each level of the tower. Likewise, these window access points also afford personnel the opportunity to repel from different levels based on skill and proficiency.