Tri County Tech is committed to providing top-notch training facilities for their firefighters, ensuring they are well-prepared to handle any situation they may encounter in the line of duty. That’s why they chose to partner with Fire Facilities for their state-of-the-art training tower—their first fire training structure in their service area.
When selecting a tower structure, the decision was not taken lightly. They toured numerous campuses and weighed their options. The fantastic experience of their counterparts at Pioneer Tech in Ponca with Fire Facilities spoke volumes about the quality of the product and their reputation for outstanding customer service.
One of the significant advantages of working with Fire Facilities was the ability to customize the tower to precisely meet different training requirements. Tri County chose the Division Chief model tower and tailored it to accommodate FF1 certification training, incorporating features such as a second burn room, an exterior staircase, and attic rails on the top. These customizations ensure that their firefighters receive the most comprehensive and realistic training possible.
The Div
ision Chief tower is in constant use, with several training sessions held each month. In addition to regular scheduled trainings, Tri County Tech offers free monthly training sessions to area firefighters. The versatility of the tower allows them to conduct a wide range of exercises, including live fire drills, search and rescue scenarios, rope training, hose deployment, VEIS (Vent, Enter, Isolate, Search) training, and more.
Working with Fire Facilities was a seamless experience from start to finish. “John Schauf held my hand through the entire process. As Chief of Instruction and somewhat new to fire training when this journey began, I was very nervous. However, John was super patient, answering all of my questions and graciously overlooking my inadequacies. John and Shelley made the purchasing, shipping, scheduling of the erection of the tower, and all the rest, so manageable,” said Tara Gotwalt, Chief of Instruction at Tri County Tech in Bartlesville, Oklahoma.
Since the installation of the Fire Facilities Division Chief tower, the response from the Bartlesville community has been overwhelmingly positive. The tower has become a valuable asset for both paid and volunteer firefighters, with donations pouring in to help fund additional accessories. “Everyone is
thrilled to know that we are investing in the overall safety of the communities we serve!” Gotwalt added.
In January, Tri County Tech held their first-ever Firefighter Academy, and it filled up in just one week! They plan to run two training academies per year for firefighters in their area and aim to add a high school program in the future.
“The firefighters LOVE the structure. Every single time it is used, there are compliments galore. It has significantly increased the quality and opportunities for training,” boasted Gotwalt.
