Construction on the new Regional Fire Training Centre for the Kootenay Boundary Regional Fire Rescue Service (KBRFR) is nearly complete.
The new $300,000 modular training centre is located adjacent to the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary (RDKB) Fire Hall.
The project was funded in collaboration between the Office of the Fire Commissioner, KBRFR reserve funds, and support from the RDKB East End Services Committee, along with a $3,000 grant from BC Hydro for a smoke machine.
The centre is designed to meet NFPA 1402 standards for facilities and NFPA 1403 standards for live fire training evolutions.
It will provide a comprehensive training environment for all aspects of fire service operations, from basic skills to advanced techniques, ensuring firefighters are well-prepared for emergencies.
The concept of a regional training centre was identified as a priority for KBRFR following a 2014 Fire Service Review, which highlighted the need for a centrally located facility to overcome the challenges of travel and costs associated with external training.
The new facility will feature a range of advanced training props, including live fire scenarios using propane to simulate real-fire conditions.
The modular design allows for future expansion, ensuring the centre can adapt to evolving training needs and accommodate joint training exercises with other agencies.
“What this does is provide an opportunity for us to not only work through certification for our paid-on-call firefighters, but it also allows us to regularly achieve recurrency training in live fire, rescue drills, confined space, and high-angle scenarios. It’s a very comprehensive site that will really help us be a better department,” said Dan Derby, KBRFR Regional Fire Chief.
The live fire training component is a critical addition. In the past, local firefighters had only one opportunity in their career to receive this training, requiring travel to Penticton or Vancouver.
“Now they’ll be able to do it here at home. The facility also includes all the disciplines regarding self-rescue and how we would perform RIT (Rapid Intervention Team) if someone breached the floor. There are so many skills this site can add to the firefighters’ abilities and make them more comfortable in a fire environment.”
The building includes smoke machines, which will be used to smoke out different rooms during training exercises and movable walls for search drills.
Most of the facility is finished, with training exercises underway. However, Derby said the live fire component still needs some time to be operational.
“The live fire component will come online later this fall, and we look forward to hosting an open house to showcase the new centre to the community and our partners later in the year.”
In addition to providing local training, Derby hopes the new centre will help with recruitment and retention.
“Since about 2016, there’s been a steady decline of volunteer and paid-on-call firefighters across Canada, and we’re no different. We’re in the range of 30 per cent fewer than we had back in 2016 and earlier. So, we’re hoping this training centre is another piece that will assist us in recruiting and retaining our paid-on-call firefighters.”
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