Fayetteville Technical Community College announced plans to open an  indoor swift water rescue training facility at its Regional Fire & Rescue Training Center yesterday. 

The Regional Fire & Rescue Training Center has been under construction on Tom Starling Road, and the swift water rescue training facility will be a new addition, housed in an 8,400-square-foot building for emergency personnel training year-round. 

“This facility will serve a critical training need for emergency personnel in Cumberland County,  eastern North Carolina and beyond,” said FTCC President Dr. Larry Keen. 

The project was approved by the school’s Board of Trustees yesterday, which will have a $3.5 million dollar price tag. Next, the State Board of Community Colleges will have to approve the project, which may happen as early as this week. If the project is approved, the school projects that the facility will be ready to open in 12-18 months. 

 Inside of the building will be an 88,000-gallon tank with eight pumps that can blast water at 7 knots per hour to simulate a variety of dangerous swift-water and floodwater rescue scenarios, the release said. The company currently operates a similar facility that can simulate different weather conditions, temperatures, current flow, obstacles and more. 

A classroom and locker rooms will be located inside of the facility. Sections of buildings and vehicles can be submerged in the tank as part of training exercises. 

Fathom Tanks, located in Georgetown Texas, will provide the tank and technology.

“Dangerous flood and swift-water situations can happen almost anywhere,” Keen said. “It is  vitally important that emergency responders have specialized training in these instances. With  this new facility, FTCC will be able to provide that training.”