City and county fire chiefs told the en banc they have studied options to expand regional training and avoid duplicative capital spending while meeting NFPA standards and broad agency demand.

Tammy Snow, Wichita Fire Chief, and Doug Williams, Sedgwick County Fire Chief, said the current Regional Training Center at 31st and Oliver is at capacity: Wichita requires roughly 8,200 annual training hours to meet ISO qualifications and both agencies — plus dozens of outside agencies — rely on live‑burn props and the Connex Village. Williams said the two organizations co‑responded to about 5,620 incidents in 2024 and 4,025 through August 2025, reinforcing a need for coordinated training.

The chiefs presented two complementary approaches: expand the existing RTC into adjacent ball fields (which would be subject to land‑water conservation replacement requirements and an estimated $375,000–$1.1 million cost for replacement property) or develop a separate Sedgwick County campus on donated land behind Station 36 for rural and rescue‑type props while Wichita builds a high‑rise Connex Village under its CIP. The teams emphasized minimizing duplication, cross‑use of purchasing contracts and standardizing training where practical.

Estimated capital assumptions included a not‑to‑exceed budget of $6.3 million for initial work, phased CIP schedules (county 2027, Wichita 2028), and additional site development and maintenance costs. Chiefs said conceptual architecture and joint agreements remain in process; no final appropriation or intergovernmental contract was approved at the meeting.

Next steps: staffs will continue design work, finalize cost estimates, revisit joint‑training agreements and present CIP timing for formal action in upcoming budget cycles.