Firefighters from Flower Mound, Highland Village and Lewisville will benefit from a new fire training facility that broke ground Jan. 10 in Lewisville. The facility won’t require firefighters to travel as far for training, department officials said.
Lewisville is funding more than half of the facility’s $6.9 million cost. Highland Village and Flower Mound will provide the rest, with that money coming from different sources in those cities.
Highland Village Fire Chief Jason Collier said the facility will benefit each of the three departments.
“The facility not only allows us to train on our basic skills but also specialty skills which improves the quality of our departments and provides a higher level of service to our citizens,” he said.
Two-minute impact
The new center will help fire departments meet training requirements from the Insurance Services Office—a national organization whose ratings are used by insurance companies for setting rates.
The organization’s ratings played a role in the desire to build a facility, as these ratings can have a far-reaching effect on business recruitment and resident relocation.
Flower Mound Fire Chief Paul Henley said the departments are aiming for the organization’s highest rating. The better the rating, the better the commercial and residential rates can be.
“ISO ratings can advise the community on a local fire department’s fire protection capabilities,” he said, adding that firefighters’ training hours figure into the rating.
Firefighters must have 18 hours of facilities training per year. The facility must be on a certain acreage, have a tower and be able to have live fire burns, Henley said. Some programs can allow local officials and leaders to experience live fire exercises, vehicle extrications and EMS scenarios, said John Riddle, president of the Texas State Association of Fire Fighters.
