The last functioning portions of the Great Falls Fire Rescue five-story training tower failed last fall, part of a long arc of deterioration at the department’s southside training center. Without the tower and having only partial use of other buildings on the nine-acre training site, Fire Chief J eremy Jones said that the department’s ability to “train in context,” or simulate real-world firefighting, is limited or nonexistent.“We do not have those capabilities and have not had those capabilities for a while,” Jones told Montana Free Press Thursday.Jones has petitioned city commissioners to approve $2.5 million in bond financing to improve the training center. This initial plan includes demolishing and replacing the tower and improving the grounds with asphalt and better drainage.It’s a tough request in Great Falls, where a large public safety levy failed a public vote in 2023. Heading into budget planning this year, city commissioners have taken critical looks at departments and services that pull from the general fund in an attempt to retain every possible dollar. Earlier this week, commissioners debated the impact of free military training at the Aim High Big Sky recreation center, which was estimated to cost the city just $4,000 to $8,000 annually.The current funding proposal for the fire department’s training center aims to use funds that were taken from the Great Falls Public Library last year in a hotly debated saga. Officials vowed to reallocate that money toward public safety expenses. City Commissioner Susan Wolff said on Tuesday that the training center would begin to address those needs.Great Falls Fire Rescue Chief Jeremy Jones poses in front of the classroom building at the firefighter training center. Jones hopes the nine-acre property can be restored and be used by multiple agencies and organizations. Credit: Matt Hudson / MTFP“I think we are looking at solving a piece of the public safety issue that we all face,” she said.Most of the available space at the Great Falls Fire Rescue training center comes with caveats. There are certain soft spots, as Jones called them, where a 50,000-pound fire truck will sink right into the dirt. Built in the ‘70s, the grounds weren’t constructed with stormwater drainage in mind, Jones said. Heavy spring rains collect into large pools at the base of the tower.No fires are allowed in the burn building, which looks like a large, grey warehouse behind the tower. It was condemned in the ‘80s for asbestos contamination. That was remediated years later, but real fires still can’t burn inside due to problems with the building. The department attached a shipping container to the side of the building where a fire can be made and extinguished by trainees. Firefighters train inside the burn building using smoke machines to simulate a real fire.With the tower unavailable for use, a new recruit has been using a small structure on a trailer to simulate limited situations, such as pulling victims out of windows and onto a roof.“It doesn’t begin to mimic anything in the real world,” Jones said.The state of the training center has meant that Great Falls Fire Rescue has experimented with training exercises around town. Firefighters used a parking garage for high-rise training but ended up damaging some water pipes. Jones said they’ve practiced running heavy fire hoses through apartment buildings, though without water to avoid damage.None of the workarounds get close to training in real-world conditions. Jones said that there are many dangerous situations that a firefighter doesn’t want to experience for the first time on a live call. He talked about the difficulty in balancing the conservative use of public funds with residents’ expectations of a local fire department.“I would hope that their expectation is that we have the highest-trained, highest-skilled men and women,” he said.After pursuing a few grant opportunities and community partnerships and reaching dead ends, Jones moved toward the bond proposal. He said that the city will undergo an insurance audit in 2026, which will grade fire department resources to inform area property insurance costs. Jones warned city commissioners in January that premiums could rise up to 10% due to the current state of the training center. He’s hoping to begin work as soon as possible.To help train new recruits, Great Falls Fire Rescue brought in this smaller structure on a trailer to simulate some rescue situations. Fire Chief Jeremy Jones said this doesn’t get close to simulating real-world situations. Behind, a donated rail car allows for small-enclosure training. Credit: Matt Hudson / MTFPAccording to the current proposal, the first job would be to demolish the current tower and construct a new one. That’s estimated to cost $1.27 million for a new tower that would restore roof and high-rise training as well as some live fire training. The second part of the proposal is to remove and replace the asphalt and concrete surfaces for stability and drainage at a cost of $553,500. A contingency fund of $669,500 is part of the current plan as well. The current proposal doesn’t include work on the burn building and some of the larger plans Jones has for the property.The city is able to take on a limited amount of general obligation bond debt without voter approval. With a 15-year term, the city estimates the loan payments to be just under $239,000. That would be paid from the city’s general fund.The value of mills can change from year to year, but the city expects to have around $471,000 from the library’s former 3.5 mills in 2026 to begin paying off the bond debt.At Tuesday’s meeting, City Commissioner Joe McKenney was hesitant to give the go-ahead. He said that he’s seen some enthusiasm around the idea of another public safety levy in the future for the city’s courts and fire and police departments. And with the Montana Legislature still in session, potentially tinkering with the rules of mill levies, McKenney worried about getting locked into a bad deal.“I’m just not in a hurry,” he said. “I would just ask this body to wait another couple months and see if there’s options.”In a repeat of the commission discussion that took place back in January, Mayor Cory Reeves pushed the commission to move the project ahead.“I do have to say I respectfully disagree,” Reeves said. “I would like to see this move forward.”With that direction, city staff will prepare a formal funding proposal for the training center improvements. The proposal will require city commission approval at a public meeting, but it’s not yet clear when that will appear on the commission’s agenda.In-depth, independent reporting on the stories impacting your community from reporters who know your town.The post Great Falls fire chief pushes to rehab ailing training center appeared first on Montana Free Press. ...read more read less