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Wichita and Sedgwick County chiefs propose joint training campuses; land and cost hurdles remain
Summary
Wichita and Sedgwick County fire chiefs presented a joint regional training plan that would split urban high-rise and rural/tender training across two campuses. Costs, Land and Water Conservation Fund constraints on converting ball fields and the need for phased CIP funding were flagged as primary obstacles.
Wichita and Sedgwick County fire leaders outlined plans for a coordinated regional training program at a joint en banc meeting on Oct. 29, but said land‑use rules and limited capital would shape a two‑campus approach rather than a single consolidated site.
Wichita Fire Chief Tammy Snow and Sedgwick County Fire Chief Doug Williams presented feasibility work by a subject‑matter committee and said the goal is to expand training capacity while minimizing duplication. Snow said Wichita requires roughly 8,226 annual facility training hours to meet ISO expectations and runs year‑round recruit academies. County Chief Williams said Sedgwick needs more rural‑type props (tender operations, grain‑silo and collapse rescue) and described donated acreage behind County Station 36 as a potential county campus.
A key constraint is converting two softball fields near the current Regional Training Center at 31st and Oliver: both fields are subject to Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) conditions that require replacement land of equal value and usefulness, a multi‑year process that could consume about 30% of the assumed $6.3 million budget. City property staff estimated replacement‑land acquisition and amenity development at roughly $375,000 to $1.1 million, not including construction of training props and buildings.
"There's no redundancy to continue live fire training during when it's down," Chief Snow said, noting the existing Connex burn structures are near end of life and used heavily by dozens of agencies. Chiefs reported joint operations data to underline the need for shared training: 5,620 co‑responses in 2024 and 4,025 joint responses through August 2025.
The committee recommended a two‑campus approach: Wichita—s Connex Village (high‑rise and dense‑urban props) funded through the city's capital improvement plan (CIP) and a county site dedicated to rural/tender and structural‑collapse props on donated land. The plan would preserve specialized props on each campus while enabling cross‑training and joint use agreements. Chiefs stressed NFPA safety and instructor‑to‑trainee ratios and warned that live‑burn training requires adequate staffing and safety officers.
Cost and timing remain open. The city identified a placeholder CIP for enhanced Connex props and the county said special funds are available for preliminary work; county planners estimated county architectural planning for 2027 and Wichita CIP programming for 2028. Officials also discussed gear‑cleaning extractors, SCBA refill compressors and other ancillary equipment in station rebuilds and the training campus.
Presenters said they are negotiating a new joint training agreement and will pursue final architecture and interoperability details with an emphasis on minimizing duplication, preserving safety standards and maximizing joint scheduling. No formal interlocal contract or funding appropriation was approved at the en banc; chiefs said the next step is finalizing designs and integrating the project into each jurisdiction's CIP timeline.
