Owensboro Fire Department reports 22,000 training hours, in‑house recruit academy and burn tower use

Corey Gant, chief of training for the Owensboro Fire Department, told the City Commission on Feb. 18 that the department logged more than 22,000 training hours in 2024 and completed a new training/burn tower for live‑fire exercises.

Why it matters: Firefighter training affects response capability for structure fires, technical rescues and community special events. The department described investments intended to maintain certification, meet ISO training expectations and build recruitment pipelines.

Gant said the department’s total training equated to about 220 hours per person across roughly 100 staff and that the department completed its on‑site burn tower and used it for live‑fire evolutions for the first time in several years.

The training division led multiagency exercises and special‑operations training, including vehicle‑extrication, trench rescue, rope rescue, ice rescue and use of state training trailers such as the “Fire Blast” and “Man versus Machine” props. Gant described live exercises with Davis County Fire, OMU, AMR and AirEvac and night‑time extrication drills designed to mirror event‑response demands.

The department also completed an in‑house recruit academy (its first since 2021). Gant said eight recruits passed required IFSAC written and hands‑on tests during the academy; five of those recruits were enrolled in EMT training with a projected April completion for most. The department reported 17 new personnel in 2024, including lateral transfers and a returning retiree.

Looking ahead, Gant said the department expects more live‑fire weeks, joint extrication training with AMR and another recruit class beginning after Labor Day. The department is accepting applications for the next class and emphasized community partnerships for training.

No commission action was required; the item was informational.