A new partnership with Oshkosh Corporation is helping make the Public Safety Training Center the best facility in the nation for fire training.

Pierce Manufacturing and its parent company, Oshkosh Corporation, raised an already exemplary bar in best practice training for firefighters at Fox Valley Technical College by providing the institution with a multi-year consignment of an Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) vehicle.

This massive vehicle, due to arrive at FVTC’s high-tech Public Safety Training Center (PSTC) by early 2016, is custom designed to fight aircraft-related fires. “We will be the only school in Wisconsin to have an ARFF and an accredited education program geared for its use,” says Jeremy Hansen, associate dean of Public Safety at FVTC and director of the training center.

The development of a 40-hour class is underway to prepare firefighters to work in airports across the country. “We’ll also be providing multiple programs, from beginner to refresher courses,” says Hansen.

Hansen started concept planning for the center years ago with the ARFF in mind. “This truck is huge and weighs 124,000 pounds,” he says. This unique venture would not have been possible without the support of Oshkosh Corporation, the FVTC Foundation and the community. “Everyone who voted for the public referendum in 2012 to build the Public Safety Training Center can see this as one more way we’re putting their investment to good use,” says Hansen.

This ARFF has a unique history. It was used to fight the fire at the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. “We’re honored to have it here,” notes Hansen.

Community Inspired

The increased national visibility of FVTC’s Public Safety Training Center has inspired community support for its growth.

- $25,000 from the Oshkosh Corporation Foundation for several scholarships for public safety students at FVTC
- $24,000 from the International Order of Kings Daughters and Sons, Neenah/Menasha, for scholarships
- $5,000 from the Grainger Foundation.

In addition, Glock, Inc. donated equipment for criminal justice training, and local businesses have provided furnishings for the PSTC’s River City—a simulated training village that is comprised of two houses, a bank, a hotel with bar and a convenience store.