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Roy Fire honors on-duty rescue; chiefs propose Connex-box training facility with $25,000 pledge
Summary
The council recognized firefighter Hayden Phillips for off-duty life-saving action; Roy Fire leaders proposed a locally sited modular training center using Connex boxes and said Speaker Mike Schultz pledged $25,000 to start fundraising toward roughly $80,000 estimated cost.
The Roy City Council recognized firefighter Hayden Phillips as the city's employee of the month and heard a proposal to build a local training facility for the fire department using stacked Connex boxes.
Chiefs from the Roy and neighboring departments recounted how off-duty firefighters — including Hayden Phillips — performed lifesaving CPR and defibrillation during a cardiac arrest at a Riverdale recreation center on March 31. Chief Hennessy, representing Riverdale fire, described the off-duty team's immediate actions and said early defibrillation resulted in the patient regaining a pulse and breathing; the patient later visited the Riverdale station to thank responders.
Hayden Phillips, introduced as a Roy City firefighter and paramedic, said he felt honored but that stepping in "felt like that's what you do. That's what you should do." The council presented certificates and thanked all the responders.
Chief Jake Rask (Roy City Fire Department) then presented a concept for a modular training center to be sited on city property near the public works/city shops. Rask said the system uses stacked Connex (shipping) boxes to create a configurable structure for live-fire training, vertical-standpipe drills and urban search and rescue (USAR) exercises. Rask said the department had obtained initial bids and estimates and that a modest installation would cost about $80,000.
Rask said the department intends to fund the project through donations rather than the operating budget and announced a $25,000 pledge from Speaker of the House Mike Schultz to seed fundraising. He said the department will work with city staff, public works and legal counsel on details and that the council would be asked to accept donations and approve a resolution if the project proceeds once a fundraising threshold is reached.
Council members asked about environmental and water runoff impacts from training burns and whether a retention/collection system would be required; public works confirmed the city would design sediment/retention controls so any runoff or residue could be captured and disposed of properly. Chiefs said the planned burns would be limited (small fuels such as excelsior pads) and monitored to reduce smoke and pollution.
Council members expressed broad support for moving forward with fundraising and directed staff to keep the council informed; the council did not vote on the project at the May 20 meeting.
Details clarified at the meeting: the department will seek donations and does not plan to begin construction until sufficient funds are raised; the estimated cost range for a Connex-box training stack shown in the presentation was approximately $80,000 (department cited typical ranges of $80,000–$100,000); and the department will work with public works to add a collection/retention basin to manage firefighting runoff.
