KENTWOOD, Mich. — The Kentwood Fire Department has opened a new three-story training facility, designed to better prepare firefighters for emergency responses they might face in our community.
The over $600,000 state-of-the-art facility allows crews to conduct live fire simulations and practice various emergency response techniques in a controlled environment.
"Every one of our crews comes in, off duty and does simulation, training evolution, training on fire. We're actually having live fires," Deputy Michael Chief Hipp said.
The facility incorporates all training evolutions that firefighters would encounter during actual emergency calls, from residential to commercial fires.
"We incorporate all of our evolutions into this facility, because that is not any different than what we will do when we actually go to a residential fire or a commercial fire," Hipp said. "So practicing ladder throws. They're actually going to go up on the roof and cut holes in the roof using vent saws and practicing all of the evolution pieces that we use during a ventilation on an actual structure fire."
The training facility represents a significant advancement for the department, which had been seeking this type of resource for decades.
"Over the course of 30 plus years, this has been a desire for our department. Now with all the training requirement changes, this is going to really allow my personnel to come in and maintain all of their continuing education while using a facility that's safe." Hipp said.
The facility prioritizes firefighter safety during training exercises, eliminating the unpredictable hazards that came with using past acquired structures for training purposes.
"Everything is designed for the safety of the firefighter, so we don't have any hidden things going on, like we did when we had acquired houses, acquired structures," Hipp said.
Deputy Chief Hipp believes the facility will elevate the department's capabilities and team coordination.
"From here on out, our guys only get better," Hipp said. "This takes us to that next level of efficiency of crew continuity, which is super important to us, that our personnel that work together, they know how to work together."
The facility won't be exclusive to Kentwood firefighters. The city plans to open it to the police department and fire departments from other cities to provide better preparation for the entire area.
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