Gibson County firefighters unveil new training facility

GIBSON COUNTY, Tenn. — For a firefighter, the proper training can mean the difference between life and death and for crews in Gibson County, a new facility is allowing them to train like never before.

Made up of old shipping containers, this new state of the art training facility emerges firefighters into real-life scenarios. From rescuing victims to getting trapped during a fire it is giving these crews the tools they need to stay alive.

“If you don’t have calls it’s hard to get something to do training in,” Gibson County Fire Chief Bryan Cathey said. “So with this they can train endless hours.”

Before the facility, firefighters said it was hard to get hands on with their work but it was a hands on approach that helped make it a reality.

“A lot of the volunteers have put in a lot of time and donated some furniture and it’s really come together very, very nicely,” Chief Cathey said.

From room to room, firefighters encounter surprises around every corner.

“We’ve got portable walls inside that we can move,” Cathey said. “We can set up different scenarios and actually train them like there is a real fire.”

And some of the obstacles are a lot harder than they look.

“There’s a place in there where they get tangled in wires like if they were in an attic or the ceiling had fell in,” Chief Cathy said. “We’re trying to make everything just as realistic as possible.”

But the overall goal is to challenge these firefighters to stay alive.

“If you keep doing it, it’s repetitive and when it really happens out in the real world you’re prepared for it,” Cathey said.

Chief Cathy said they are still putting the finishing touches on this facility including an area that involves real fire. They will eventually open it up to firefighters from across the area.

A brand new facility like this one cost roughly a few hundred-thousand dollars. But because this one was built entirely by the county’s volunteers, it cost less than $10,000.