Des Moines Fire Department opens Station 4 training tower to expand technical-rescue practice

Captain Tim Meers of the Des Moines Fire Department said the department has long planned a training tower and that the new facility at Station 4 ‘‘is now become a reality.’’ He introduced the tower on behalf of the department and described both exterior and interior features designed to replicate realistic rescue scenarios.

The tower’s exterior includes windows, balconies and a roof area built to support ground-ladder and aerial-ladder training, Meers said. Inside, the facility houses a high-rise stairwell equipped with a standpipe and a fire department connection (FDC), an elevator-training prop and multiple balconies to simulate multi-story operations. The structure also contains a cellar and a connected trench prop intended for below-grade or basement fire attack and rescue work involving underground utilities and electrical vaults.

"We've had a vision. It took a while, but that vision's now become a reality," Meers said, describing the project as the result of a collaborative design process that included special-operations personnel, firefighters from across the city and the design firm Substance Architecture. He said the tower will let crews spend more time on equipment and hands-on practice rather than only talking through procedures.

Meers also stressed the value of year-round training: the indoor elevator shaft and enclosed spaces make it possible to practice rope and elevator-rescue skills during winter months when outdoor training options are limited. He described the training focus as preparing firefighters for "low-frequency, high-risk" events and said the variety of doors, windows and railings in the tower will allow crews to rehearse many different scenarios.

A member of the tower’s design committee who spoke at the unveiling called the project "a very fulfilling experience" and said the investment is already changing operations, noting that recruits and technical-rescue personnel have used the tower in the first months since completion.

The department did not provide funding figures or a schedule for public use during the remarks. Officials said the tower is already in use for training; no votes or formal actions were recorded in the remarks provided.