Pilot program may bring statewide fire training to NRPC

Editor's note: this version of the story contains corrections from the print edition. The training center's address is in Greenville, but it was annexed into the city of Central City in 2019.

A group of 27 recruits from eight fire departments across Kentucky are the first to attend a 400-hour training program at the National Responder Preparedness Center (NRPC) in Central City. The pilot program looks to be a model for future fire training in the state.

When a new career firefighter is hired by a department, that recruit must meet 400 hours of training in the first year for the department to be eligible for an incentive program through the state fire commission. Most fire departments outside major metropolitan areas only hire one or two new firefighters at a time, making that 400 hours of training hard to meet.

This is where the pilot program at the center in Central City can help. The NRPC operates as part of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System, and can offer a consistent level of training in their new recruit academy, using a wide range of instructors and specialists, and state-of-the-art equipment.

At NRPC, firefighters learn the basics about the job, and are able to train in various scenarios. The center has a mobile tower unit, a mobile training unit with “burn rooms” where controlled fires are able to provide realistic training, and props like a car and a helicopter for rescue training.

The training also includes classroom work, and the recruits will be able to test for certification at the end of the course.

“Every one of these students will learn basic firefighting,” said Marc Henderson, who is the coordinator for the center. “They do skills every day, and then at the end of the course we’re going to offer the accreditation testing. When they leave here, they’re ready to get on the truck.”

Much like the law enforcement training center in Richmond where police training is consolidated, the program at NRPC has the potential to become a destination for departments across the commonwealth to send recruits for training, providing a fixed location and schedule for new recruits.

Local departments provide ongoing training for all of their firefighters every year, but this program is tailored specifically for new recruits. The training is provided through the Kentucky Fire Commission, in partnership with the NRPC and the Wendell H. Ford Regional Training Center, just across the street from the NRPC campus.

That close proximity to the Wendell H. Ford center allows the training center an affordable place for recruits to stay during their 13-week program, which runs from Aug. 22 through Nov. 11. The dorms, dining facilities, and gymnasium are utilized by the NRPC in a partership with the Wendell H. Ford center.

The program is rigorous, Henderson said. The recruits meet every morning at 7 a.m. at the flag pole for the pledge, then work out for 45 minutes. Next comes a refresher on training skills from the day before, followed by lunch and then classroom lectures.

“Every afternoon, they have to clean the building because we’re trying to treat it just like a firehouse,” Henderson said. Getting the recruits in the habit of daily workouts and firehouse life makes them ready to jump into the job, he said.

The NRPC was built in 2012 and opened in 2013. They host fire clinics and classes on a variety of topics, with about 20 courses offered each year. Henderson said he hopes to add two to three sessions for new recruits in the future. The center has acquired 60 acres of land and plans to expand the training facility to include more equipment and scenarios.

The pilot program is free of charge for the departments and recruits, Henderson said, paid for by the Kentucky Fire Commission. The commission already budgets for 21 hours of free training for departments across the state, and the director is working toward providing the recruit academy free of charge. The only cost to departments will be the salaries of the firefighters while they are attending training.