Indianapolis, In. — Firefighting agencies across the state will have new training tools now that the Indiana Department of Homeland Security has provided more than 200 Connex industrial containers obtained from Crane Naval Research Base in Bloomfield, Ind.
The containers, useful for training scenarios for firefighters, police and other emergency responders, have been made available to firefighting agencies across Indiana. IDHS has moved more than 150 containers to a site provided by the Indiana Department of Transportation for storage, ultimately transferring them to fire training agencies across the state.
More than 60 of the containers have been retrieved by local fire agencies. They will be used for training in search techniques, safe entries, fire simulations and much more. At an average cost of $3,000 for the containers, the project will save counties significant funds. The containers are provided for free.
“This project will benefit firefighters all over the state by providing structures that can utilized over and over again for training,” said Charlie Heflin, director of the Indiana Fire and Public Safety Academy Training System. “All this translates into better prepared firefighters who can better serve their communities.”
The project has taken more than three weeks to facilitate. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources processed the containers, the Indiana Department of Correction provided heavy equipment for the transfer and the Clark County Sheriff’s Office provided transportation and personnel.
