A regional facility aimed at preparing first responders for swift water rescues is opening near Mission Bend.
What’s happening?
Harris Fort Bend Emergency Services District No. 100 has contracted Calibre Engineering to design and construct a Swift Water Training Operation and Rescue Mission Ranch aimed at providing advanced training in flood response and swift water rescue, ESD No. 100 and Calibre Engineering officials announced in a Jan. 13 news release.
The facility is expected to train up to 6,000 local and regional personnel yearly, according to the release.
ESD No. 100 provides emergency medical and fire services to 25 square miles in Harris and Fort Bend County, including parts of Cinco Ranch, according to its website.
What they’re saying
“From simulating realistic swift water scenarios to providing controlled environments for skill development, this facility will be invaluable in its ability to deliver vital hands-on training,” Dale Terry, ESD No. 100 board president, said in the release. “Regional emergency response teams will no longer depend on finding a creek or river flowing at an ideal level to create the proper conditions for this vital training. With just the push of a button, the water can be turned on and off. This will allow us to train more first responders in a more realistic environment in order to be fully ready for the next hurricane.”
A closer look
The 25,000-square-foot facility will feature an urban flood rescue simulator with a “Main Street” featuring a two-story residential building, a sunken residential building, a high ropes tower and a two-story care facility, according to the release.
Additionally, the 27-acre site will house:
- A large swift-water channel
- 2.2-acre dive
- Powerboat
- Flatwater training pond
- An on-site classroom
- Retail space
- Housing for visiting trainees
The new facility will replace the department's flood training in the Guadalupe River, which is an uncontrolled environment and only allows training in a small number of scenarios, Samantha Smith, captain and public information officer for ESD No. 100, said in an email.
"This training facility is needed because there is no other comparable facility in the world," she said in the email. "Specifically, due to the extreme flooding Texas and the Greater Houston area faces, it was an absolute necessity to have a facility in our backyard to ensure our first responders can train and prepare adequately."
Going forward
Design for the project has been completed with construction expected to begin in August, Smith said. Completion is expected in 12 to 18 months from the start date.
