By John Hacker
The Joplin Globe
WEBB CITY, Mo. — Chance Wills, a former Webb City fire lieutenant who died 10 years ago at age 43, left a lasting mark on fire departments throughout Jasper County, as both a firefighter and fire training officer.
A decade after his death, there are still a number of firefighters in Jasper County who benefited from Wills’ commitment to making sure all firefighters had the training tools they needed, said Webb City Fire Department Battalion Chief Chris Burrows.
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That’s why, on Tuesday, firefighters from departments across the county gathered at the Webb City Fire Station to dedicate the department’s new three-story training tower in honor of Wills.
“He was dedicated to the community. He was dedicated to this department. Not only this department, but he volunteered for Carl Junction, Duenweg. He also worked for METS ambulance as an EMT,” Burrow said. “On the fire instructor side, he was involved with Missouri Southern’s fire academy and Crowder College’s fire academy, and then Carl Junction did an academy for a short period. He was totally dedicated to training for the fire service, and that’s why this was so important to dedicate it to him because this was his thing.”
Wills’ widow, Amy Wills, and their two children, Ava and Landon, were on hand for the ribbon-cutting Tuesday, with Amy Wills taking the giant scissors to make the cut.
The Webb City Fire Department decided last year to start its own fire training academy to help itself and other departments navigate a chronic shortage of trained firefighters to fill its ranks.
The first class of the Webb City Fire Training Academy completed its six-month training in July 2025 with four cadets training for the Webb City Fire Department, two training for the Carthage Fire Department and one training for Carl Junction.
The second class, slated to start in January 2026, is almost set with other departments sending new firefighters to Webb City for training.
Training starts with hazardous materials before moving into fighting fires.
“We start in January with hazmat and they are fully tested and certified as firefighters by July,” Deputy Fire Chief Jeremy Denton said. “That’s skills training and taking state tests. We’ll start with hazmat ops and awareness. Those go together. Then we move on to Fire 1 and Fire 2, so they’ll be fully certified by the state by the end of the training.”
Denton said the department bought five 40-foot-long shipping containers about 12 years ago and used them for training on the ground for several years.
He said the department found a good deal on the containers and the City Council provided the money to buy them, but it took several years to figure out how to use them.
“It was Chance’s idea,” Denton said. “... It was always in the back of our minds and we started building this along with the fire academy.”
The department stacked three containers on one side and firefighters worked to cut holes for staircases and windows.
“We have a simulated living room and kitchen downstairs,” Denton said. “We’ll have a sprinkler room in back to simulate sprinklers in a fire. Upstairs, we have three rooms that we can change around, move furniture around, and we can make one a bathroom. The third floor, we can treat it like an attic space, and also have confined space training and entanglement props. We’ve got a deck on the second floor and the very top story, and that’s where we can do rappelling and ladder work and high-angle rescue.”
Denton said the bright red tower is a versatile tool, allowing classes to simulate a variety of fire scenarios.
The rooms can be filled with smoke to let trainees and current firefighters practice looking for victims in smoke-filled rooms.
The exterior can be used for ladder training or training in rappelling or high-angle rescues. Rooms can be configured to use for practicing confined-space or entanglement rescues.
“Thank you for joining us on this important day as we dedicate our new fire training tower — a symbol of safety, preparedness, and commitment to our community,” Denton said during the dedication. “May this tower stand as a symbol of strength, readiness and the unwavering commitment to protect life and property.”
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