By Sam McLaughlin
The Arizona Daily Sun, Flagstaff
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — Thanks to a $4 million grant from the state, the City of Flagstaff will construct a new wildland fire training facility on the east side of town. The facility will serve as a regional hub for wildland firefighter qualification and recertification, and house the Flagstaff Fire Department’s Wildland Fire Management division.
“We’re excited; we’re grateful,” fire Chief Mark Gaillard said. “Just the reach-out by the governor’s office and all the support we got down at the state capitol and all the folks that have worked on it — it’s fantastic.”
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs and State Sen. Wendy Rogers were instrumental to securing the state funding, according to a press release from the city.
The $4 million allocation will cover the cost of construction, and the city has committed $650,000 for design.
“Keeping Arizonans safe from wildfires is paramount to creating strong and vibrant communities,” Hobbs said in the city’s release. “This investment will make sure northern Arizona has the highly trained personnel and resources they need to effectively respond to wildfires and protect both individuals and property. I will continue to make sure Arizona is equipped to handle the increasing threat of wildfires across the state.”
There is no concrete timeline yet for the construction or opening of the facility. Gaillard hopes to begin the procurement process for a contractor before the end of this fiscal year. There is a site chosen: the new building will be located on city property adjacent to the Wildcat Hill Water Reclamation Plant off of Route 66 , just south of Picture Canyon Natural and Cultural Preserve .
“We currently don’t really have a dedicated wildland fire training location,” Gaillard explained. “We go in whatever room’s available.”
The lack of purpose-specific classroom space is a logistical challenge. Every Flagstaff firefighter receives training in wildland firefighting during their initial academy education, and hundreds of firefighters in the Greater Flagstaff Region consortium — a group that includes the Flagstaff Fire Department , Summit Fire & Medical District , Highlands Fire District , Ponderosa Fire District , Pinewood Fire District and Camp Navajo Fire — require annual refresher training and recertification.
A new facility will provide the necessary space for basic wildland fire training and retraining, sawyer certification and the study of incident management or command and control systems.
That preparation is important for keeping local firefighters’ skills sharp, Gaillard said.
Although federal and state agencies typically bear the most responsibility for firefighting on public lands, local departments and districts are often the first on scene when fires ignite in or near communities.
“They are the nation’s first defense to wildland fire,” Gaillard emphasized. “That’s who goes to these calls first.”
While classroom training will shift to the new facility, the department still plans to use what Gaillard called “the outdoor lab” for hands-on training. There are ample possibilities for practice in the landscapes surrounding Flagstaff , he said.
The new training center will primarily support local fire departments and districts, but could also be available at times for state and federal partners — the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management , the U.S. Forest Service , or even the Navajo Nation Fire Department — to use for training needs.
“We collaborate with those team members all day, every day,” Gaillard said.
The building will also allow Flagstaff Fire’s Wildland Fire Management division to relocate out of an older facility at the Pulliam Airport — which Gaillard said was not suited to supporting their operations.
Wildland fire remains “the No. 1 fire risk to the community,” Gaillard said. He cited the fires that have burned near Flagstaff in recent years: the Museum Fire in 2019, the Tunnel Fire in April 2022 and the Pipeline Fire in June 2022 . The risk is “very tangible and real in this community,” he said — and, as nearby fires in January of this year demonstrated, no longer confined to the summer months.
“We try not to say things like ‘fire season’ any more,” Gaillard added.
In the city’s press release, Mayor Becky Daggett stated, “This wildland fire training facility is our next big step forward in how we prepare for and respond to the increasing threat of wildfires. I want to extend my gratitude to Gov. Hobbs and Sen. Rogers , as well as Coconino County , the Greater Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce , and Coconino Community College for their support and commitment to helping us build a safer, more resilient region.”
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