NW Campus unveils $17 million fire center
by Meredith Waites, reporter

    NW Campus celebrated the opening of its state-of-the-art Fire Service Training Center last week.

   The open house and dedication featured several live fire demonstrations and Texas Representative Kay Granger as guest speaker.

   The new Fire Service Training Center is the largest computer-controlled, gas-fired (natural gas and propane) training facility in the world. It represents one of the most significant contributions to firefighter training ever developed, Tommy Abercrombie, fire academy coordinator, said.

   “This is one of the finest facilities anywhere. It is a great advantage for the city of Fort Worth. Fort Worth is just fortunate,” he said. “This will have an impact on people’s lives.”

   The training center features a live fire disaster city. This area assists the firefighters in learning about elements of a community they would encounter in a realistic setting.

   The drill field includes two high-rise structures, a warehouse, a hotel/apartment complex, a retail shopping center, three residential structures, two outdoor classrooms with a cooling system, a trench rescue trainer, a confined-space maze, a train derailment with fuel spill, two car fires, a tractor trailer fire and an emergency driving course.

   The entire training cityscape is directed from the control tower located on the third floor of the administrative classroom building.

   The 48,000 square foot building contains 12 classrooms and a 130-seat lecture hall. The facility is connected to a large apparatus learning center designed to simulate a working fire station.

   Classes for this semester started in October. With the spring semester and the new training center, the department anticipates an enrollment increase, Bill Wekenborg, fire academy assistant professor, said.

   “Everything is in place. Classes are designated, as well as innovative programs and continuing education programs, ” he said.

   Wekenborg said it will probably be a year before the department will really see the benefits.

   According to Abercrombie, the department already has seen some increase in enrollment.

   “This is a great place for training for the city of Fort Worth,” he said.

   To assist in fire service training, extra classes have been added. There is currently a waiting list for the program, as well.

   “This facility allows us to increase our offerings by a great amount,” he said.

   The center’s technological aspects provide the students with a realistic experience. The degree of difficulty associated with each fire is controlled by a state-of-the-art computer system developed by Symtron Systems of Fair Lawn, N.J.

   Symtron has been in the business of designing and manufacturing live fire training systems and centers for more than 20 years.

   The system monitors the situation and has safety devices that can eliminate the fire and remove the smoke. This feature is important if a student should be in a real emergency.

   The students still have the smoke, flames and intense heat in the situations, Rick Frye, assistant professor and fire programs coordinator, said.

   “The Fire Service Training Center is designed to have the safety element to give necessary training,” he said.

   The fires can stop within seconds and can also be duplicated. Progressive scenarios also can be created.

   “The training center can take students through scenarios they may not see for years of live training,” he said.