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Wausau staff, NTC discuss training tower collaboration; committee requests property options
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Summary
Fire and city staff discussed a proposed training tower (burn tower) partnership with Central Technical College/NTC; NTC has set aside capital funding for 2025–26 and the city was asked to identify available property (minimum two acres) for the facility.
City fire leadership and committee members discussed a proposed training tower (referred to in the meeting as a “burn tower”) on March 13, with representatives saying Northcentral Technical College (referred to in the meeting as NTC and Central Technical College) has set aside capital funds for 2025–26 and is willing to partner on equipment and funding.
Fire Chief Jeremy (identified in the meeting as the city’s fire chief) said the goal is a training facility for live-burn practice and other training that the department cannot easily conduct inside existing stations. “What we’re really looking at is a training facility, something where, you know, we could train our firefighters on a consistent basis, in the Wausau area as well as in the county,” Jeremy said, adding that live-burn opportunities have become limited.
Jeremy told the committee NTC has “put aside some money in the capital, for 2526 to to move forward with this” and that the college is willing to help with equipment and to partner on the project. He asked the committee to consider city-owned properties before pursuing a purchase so the project would not require a direct city capital request. Jeremy said the facility would start small — a training tower — with potential future expansion for classrooms, bathrooms and other support facilities.
Committee members and Jeremy discussed site preferences and constraints. Jeremy said the project would need at least two acres to meet Insurance Services Office (ISO) points that the department is pursuing; “Minimum if we’re gonna just focus on ISO standards and give you points. They require 2 acres with a training tower on it at a minimum,” he said. Jeremy named city-owned parcels already under consideration, including the property where the police department stores equipment (described as off 80 Fourth), the Cleveland Avenue property where an incubator once stood, and an old VA clinic connected to Station 2 off 30 Second Avenue. He also said a site behind the new water treatment plant contains wells and is therefore problematic.
Committee members asked Jeremy to identify a top three property choices and bring them back. Alder Wessel suggested Jeremy select and rank three properties that meet his needs; Jeremy agreed to return with options for the committee’s next meeting. Committee members noted the project will touch multiple committees — economic development, finance and public health and safety — as it moves forward.
No formal committee vote or funding commitment by the city was taken at the meeting; the discussion was recorded as an exploratory step and staff will return with candidate properties and follow-up recommendations.
