Boise's new fire training center is now operational.
For the first time in decades, the city has its own facility to practice on live fires.
The facility is on the cutting edge for fire training technology.
Fire chief Dennis Doan says he' is thrilled with his new training facility, especially, the five story tower.
"Each one of the floors is a bit different. Some represent a commercial building and another one is an apartment and another one is a hotel complex with different landings so we can simulate different buildings all over town." says Doan.
The tower has propane lines on every floor that can shoot out flames. And the maze-like structure is easily changed to prevent memorization of walls.
Also, high temperatures have little impact on the structure... because the cinder blocks are highly specialized to resist heat.
"It's the same type of material on the space shuttle as it re-enters." says Doan.
And as the burn marks indicate, they're already using the facility to train. Burning combustible materials can be done in another single story structure where wood can be burned.
"In the past, we had to rely on a donation to train on live fire but it wasn't regular." says Doan
The facility is so advanced, Doan says he expects other departments to come to Boise to train. And he says his crews will benefit greatly from a new level of training.
"This is one of the best training facilities in the west. It's very modern and has many of the things our firefighters need to do their job and help protect the citizens of Boise."
