COURTLAND TOWNSHIP, Mich. — The Courtland Township Fire Department is constructing a new training facility using shipping containers to provide realistic fire scenarios for its members at a fraction of the cost of a traditional building.
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Fire Chief Steve Mojzuk said the project, which has been a dream of his since he joined the department in 1991, is being built with a $150,000 contribution from the township and $50,000 from his department's budget. A traditional fire training building typically costs millions of dollars.
The facility is being built from six shipping containers, an idea modeled after similar structures used by the Lansing and Saugatuck fire departments.
“Lansing fire department and Saugatuck Fire Department have them, and we went and looked at theirs, and we kind of modeled ours after theirs,” Mojzuk said.
To further reduce costs, department members are volunteering to do most of the construction work themselves.
“That's keeping the cost way down, because everybody's volunteering,” Mojzuk said.
When completed, the facility will have four burn rooms and allow firefighters to simulate various situations, including kitchen and chimney fires, in a controlled environment.
“We built this, so you'll be able to get firsthand experience going into a hot, heated building with a controlled atmosphere,” the chief said.
Mojzuk emphasized the importance of the hands-on training, noting the department has responded to only four structure fires in the township over the last three years.
“The younger guys will have a good feel on what a structure fire is, we've had four structure fires in the last three years in our township. So, we really don't get to practice it much in our own Township,” he said.
According to Mojzuk, the firefighters are looking forward to having their own local facility.
“All of them are very excited that we're doing it, and they can't wait to be able to use it,” he said.
The chief’s goal is to have the training facility completed by the time he retires at the end of October.
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