CALDWELL, Idaho — The Caldwell Fire Department is nearing completion of phase one of a new joint public safety training facility that will serve both fire and police personnel and bring real-world training scenarios to the city.
Deputy Chief of Operations Matt Shoup gave a tour of the property, showing how the dirt lot will be transformed into a training ground for the future of the department. The facility will eventually feature about seven structures built from shipping containers, mimicking multiple types of buildings including two-story residential and 5-story mixed-use buildings.
"In the end we'll have about seven of them when we're completed," Shoup said.
The design reflects changes happening across Caldwell.
"So with the change in a lot of our dynamics in our city, we're getting more and more apartments. We're getting more commercial business," Shoup said.
The goal is to give firefighters hands-on experience with the types of structures they will actually encounter on the job. One area of the facility will be dedicated to extrication training.
"So we'll use this area for example, for working with our crews on extrication, which would be removing victims from cars as we go on and on. We'll actually make more and more complex types of scenarios," Shoup said.
The facility will also include a new $850,000 indoor training center funded with ARPA funds. The building will be outfitted with classrooms, locker rooms, and mixed-use rooms shared with the Caldwell Police Department.
"This will be our actual large classroom," Shoup said.
In the past, Caldwell firefighters had to travel to Nampa for training or use a small classroom at the Caldwell Fire Department office. The new facility puts classrooms and real-world training in the same location within the city, streamlining the process for new recruits and keeping emergency responders closer to the community they serve.
The project is on track to be completed in October of this year.
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