Manitou Springs Fire Training Facility

The area in and around Manitou Springs has been ground zero to several destructive fires over the past few years, and given the heavily wooded and mountainous terrain, there are many specific skills that the department faces as such fires promise to become more frequent.

With a parcel of city-owned land situated near the existing city maintenance yard, we developed a state of the art facility with commanding views of the eastern plains. The program was to house unused vehicles, as well as serving as the emergency operations center for all city functions, since the existing municipal buildings are under constant threat of flash flooding. Along with a complex fire training burn prop, there is ample classroom space, kitchen and conference accommodations, and ample storage, the building incorporates an aerobic training course that allows fire fighters to simulate physical condition drills that will lead to more effective fire fighting.

Project Team: Ross Williams, Kelsey Blaho, and Serena McClintick
Local Participants: John Forsett (Fire Chief), Randy Perkins
DOLA Regional Manager: Clay Brown