By ALIN HETT
Hays Post
A planned regional firefighter training facility in Ellis County is being built with the firefighters of today in mind.
“This isn’t necessarily for us today,” Darin Myers, Ellis County fire chief, said. “For the next couple years, this is for the next generation of firefighters after I retire.”
Ellis County commissioners approved accepting a Patterson Family Foundation grant for the regional training facility and equipment and allocated a 10-acre parcel at 1515 W. 55th St., near the Ellis County landfill, for the project at the Sept. 8 county commission meeting.
The Patterson Family Foundation has already provided about $454,000 toward the project, with the planned training equipment totaling about $820,000.
What began as an idea for a storage building for county fire equipment has grown into plans for a regional training complex that could serve firefighters from across northwest Kansas and potentially become home to an annual fire school.
“I think it's going to take us to a whole other level in the future,” Myers said.
Myers said the need for training comes as volunteer fire departments are being asked to do more with fewer people. He said volunteer firefighter numbers have declined significantly since the 1980s while the number of calls they respond to has quadrupled.
“We’re asking less of them to do four times as much, essentially, over those years,” Myers said.
Myers said the centerpiece of the facility would be a live-fire training tower. The structure would allow firefighters to train on interior and exterior fires, second-story and basement scenarios, rope rescues, window bailouts, roof collapses, wall breaches and other situations they could encounter on calls.
Other planned equipment includes a flashover simulator, fire dynamics prop, forcible-entry training door and vehicle fire simulator. Plans also include areas for vehicle extrication and potentially a simulated rubble pile for building-collapse and rescue training.
A 40-by-100-foot metal building is also planned at the facility, providing equipment storage and a 40-by-40-foot classroom. Myers said firefighters have volunteered to help finish the classroom's interior, and HVAC equipment has already been donated.
The Patterson Family Foundation is also offering a challenge grant, matching donations dollar-for-dollar up to $178,000. Myers said firefighters have already secured about $61,000 in commitments toward the match and are pursuing additional funding that could quickly push them closer to the goal.
“We have a couple foundations that we’re going to be working with, and some disaster funds that possibly could give us upward of another $100,000 in the coming weeks,” Myers said.
Firefighters also plan to participate in the Heartland Community Foundation's Match Month in October as they continue fundraising. Myers said he hopes they cannot only reach the $178,000 goal but surpass it, allowing additional money to be set aside for future training supplies and other expenses.
Beyond training Ellis County firefighters, Myers said the facility could fill a significant gap for departments across western Kansas.
Ellis County is working with the Kansas State Firefighters Association in hopes of eventually establishing an annual fire school at the facility. Myers said the only established statewide fire school is conducted in Topeka, creating challenges for western Kansas volunteer firefighters who have regular jobs and might struggle to take the time necessary to travel across the state for training.
Myers said the Ellis County facility could also remain available throughout the year, allowing departments from communities such as Phillipsburg and Colby to travel to Hays for hands-on training.
The facility would not be limited to volunteer departments. Myers said the Hays Fire Department and other career departments would also be welcome to use the complex.
While Myers does not expect the facility alone to solve the challenges of recruiting volunteer firefighters, he said providing quality equipment, training and support gives departments another tool to attract and retain them.
“I don’t think it’s going to be a sole reason for any firefighter to join,” Myers said. “It’s just another ability that we’ll have to be able to use and give them the ability to go out and do some training.”
Myers said having permanent equipment nearby would also allow firefighters to repeatedly practice skills instead of waiting for training trailers and other resources to be brought into the area.
The 10-acre property was part of an older Ellis County landfill that closed decades ago. Myers said much of the property cannot be developed, but a portion that previously housed the landfill's scale house and office was never used for waste and can accommodate the building.
The location also offers easier access to utilities than an earlier proposed site near the public works facility, reducing the amount of dirt work and utility construction that would otherwise be required.
Myers said the Kansas Division of Emergency Management, Kansas Forest Service and Kansas Fire and Rescue Training Institute have supported the concept.
The project could ultimately help Ellis County avoid a much larger challenge if the number of volunteer firefighters continues to decline.
“If we don’t have volunteer firefighters, the tax burden on the county is going to significantly increase because you’re going to have to start hiring full-time people,” Myers said.
Nathan Leiker, Ellis County commissioner, called the project a “great move” before making the motion to accept the Patterson Family Foundation grant and dedicate the 10-acre property for the facility during the Sept. 8 County Commission meeting.
If fundraising goals are met, Myers said the entire project could be completed in 2028.