Tahlequah gearing up for new fire training facility

Jim Giles' Wild Wild Weather Show is gearing up for its 25th Anniversary kick-off and the first town on the roster, Tahlequah, is getting ready. <br/><br/>One of the many new features of this year's

Monday, February 27th 2006, 10:28 am

By: News On 6

Jim Giles' Wild Wild Weather Show is gearing up for its 25th Anniversary kick-off and the first town on the roster, Tahlequah, is getting ready.

One of the many new features of this year's show, is a segment about the role meteorology plays in fighting wildfires. News on 6 anchor Tami Marler went to Tahlequah to find out.

Tahlequah firefighters are shining up their newest brush truck, preparing for what promises to be another busy week. Three fulltime firefighters per shift work alongside volunteers, to protect a city of about 15,000. They've responded to more than 200 fires since November of last year.

Because of the dry and windy conditions, they haven't been able to light fires and train firefighters in a live fire at the training center. But they hope to have that lifted soon, and they hope their classrooms are up and running. "They hope for it to be one of the premier training centers in the state." Tahlequah Fire Chief Mike Swim says city officials just approved a bid to finish this fire and rescue training center. "We hope to have this done within the next six months. On the northern edge of the facility here, we are going to try to get a liquid propane gas training facility. We think it may be the only one in the state."

Inside the classroom training center, firefighters and new recruits will do book work. Once the burn ban is lifted, full-time and volunteer firefighters will also train outside, in live-fire situations, in burning structures with vehicles and grass. "The volunteers couldn't do their job without the fulltime, the fulltime couldn't do their job without our volunteers."

Tahlequah fire officials hope to have classrooms finished within six months, the entire facility within a year. When it opens, Chief Swim hopes the fire and rescue training center will benefit emergency workers from all over the state.

Fire officials say they monitor weather conditions every day in this wildfire season.

The 25th anniversary edition of Jim Giles' Wild Wild Weather show opens Tuesday in the high school gym. Be sure to come a half-hour early, for the Mad Science Pre-Show at 6:30 PM. It's all free, but we ask that you bring a canned food item for the local food bank.