New drill tower is going up
By Terry Murry on Friday, February 4th, 2022 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
WALLA WALLA – Construction has begun on the new fire-drill tower project located at 300 Cayuse Street adjacent to Washington Park. The project replaces the aging drill tower at the site that has provided many decades of training to firefighters and is at the end of its useful life.
The new structure will serve as a regional training facility for the Walla Walla Fire Department, Walla Walla County Fire District No. 4, and the College Place Fire Department with the project being equally funded by all three agencies.
“The final cost for the project is approximately $890,000,” WWFD Deputy Fire Chief Fred Knowles said.
The contractor, ESF Solutions, is currently installing foundations and underground utilities for the drill tower and performing grading work at the site. The modular drill tower has begun construction offsite at a location in the Midwest and will be shipped to Walla Walla when fabrication is completed which will likely be in late April. At that time, the structure will be set in place and final site paving will occur.
“Once complete, the tower will have a multitude of different training props available to train on,” Knowles said. “For instance, live fire, search and rescue, forcible entry, ventilation, and technical rescue, to name a few.”
