The Brief
- A new state-of-the-art Polk County firefighter training center celebrated its grand opening Tuesday in Winter Haven.
- The 15-acre campus features the largest burn tower in the nation to prepare crews for dangerous situations.
- The facility includes advanced simulation labs and classrooms to help the busy department establish a professional identity.
WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – Polk County Fire Rescue members can now train at their first-ever dedicated campus designed to simulate real-world emergencies. The state-of-the-art facility opened Tuesday in Winter Haven to support one of the busiest emergency organizations in Florida.
Winter Haven campus features
What we know:
The new 30,000-square-foot facility sits on 15 acres and features the largest burn tower in the country, nicknamed the “Beast of the East.” It houses emergency medical service simulation labs for emergency medical technicians and paramedics, a fitness center and dedicated classrooms.
Crews will use the space for fire, medical and hazardous materials training. Previously, the department had to rely on outside entities for open training slots.
Department leadership perspective
What they’re saying:
“We haven’t had these opportunities until now to dig in, train hard, and train together,” Captain Jon Hall said. “So, having a facility of our own is going to help tremendously.”
Chief Shawn Smith noted the department has faced organizational trauma in recent years and needs a fresh identity. …