WITC Unveils New Fire Truck for More Accurate Real-World Training

The new fire truck is being used for training and driver operations in the fire services program and for drivers in the CDL program to get the feel of driving a different type of rig. 

SUPERIOR, Wis.- Student firefighters at Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College in Superior have just started training on a new fire truck to practice for more complex and challenging emergencies that life as a firefighter could throw their way.

Costing about $250,000, the new truck sports a modern pressure control system, which instructors say helps in transporting water over longer distances in rural areas.

Other than that, it may seem pretty basic — and for a good reason.

“The fact of the matter is small rural volunteer fire departments don’t have rigs with a lot of bells ad whistles, so why would we have one?” said Tim Halbur Fire Services Director at WITC.

“Ours is specifically designed so we can train people on the types of apparatus they’re going to be using out in the real world and on the fires they have to fight,” he said.

The new fire truck is being used for training and driver operations in the fire services program and for drivers in the CDL program to get the feel of driving a different type of rig.

In addition to the training at the college, any of the 109 fire departments in the district are encouraged to utilize the new truck as part of their training and in conjunction with their own equipment to practice real-life scenarios.

While the program normally stores their fire trucks in New Richmond, Wisconsin, the Superior Fire Department has offered to let them store the new one in their bay, to make it easier to get out to fire departments in Northern Wisconsin.