BASF Agricultural Solutions, a Germany-based company, has awarded the Ames Fire Department $7,500 for its new fire training facility in east Ames.
The 90,000-square-foot training facility will allow the fire department to train in real-life fire situations, but keep them in a controlled area, Ames Fire Chief Rich Higgins said.
“Having a training site of our own will be extremely helpful,” Higgins said. “Being able to conduct fire training in a controlled environment will be a wonderful opportunity for our fire fighters, and to be able to extinguish a fire in these containers and not worry about what we’re burning is good, too.”
The training facility is at the intersection of Pullman Avenue and Carnegie Street, and will be built out of old shipping containers that are cut to add windows. The containers are stacked together “like LEGO’s” to create a virtual city.