Kansas State University and the Kansas Forest Service have announced plans to build a $5 million shared facility to boost current efforts to provide critical training and equipment for firefighters and state-of-the-art instructional space for academic and regional workforce development programs.
The construction process will begin soon on the Kansas Rural Fire and Workforce Development Center, which will be shared by the state’s forest service and K-State’s department of communications and agricultural education.
The 13,268-square-foot facility will include:
• A modernized shop for fire equipment.
• A teaching lab for classes about emergency response, modern agricultural technology and mechanics.
• A multipurpose classroom and lab for teaching and workforce training and development.
State Forester Jason Hartman said the new building will address “critical space limitations” faced by the Federal Excess Property Program, which acquires excess property from the Department of Defense and other federal sources, retrofits the equipment and then provides it on loan to local fire departments.
Jason Ellis, head of K-State’s department of communications and agricultural education, said the facility also creates an applied learning space for faculty to train future teachers and provide continuing education for the state’s 300-plus agricultural educators.
“This new facility will allow us to support our key stakeholders in the state by providing high-demand education, professional development and resources,” Ellis said.
Ellis hailed the joint effort between the Kansas Forest Service and K-State’s College of Agriculture, saying the building’s dual program focus is built on the university’s vision of becoming the nation’s premier land-grant university, as it will be Kansas-centered and learner-focused.
Kansas State University received a $3.2 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration for this project. Hartman added that the forest service’s collaboration with the Flint Hills Regional Council was essential to helping secure funding for this project.
