City of Madison celebrates opening of new public safety training tower

Madison city leaders, first responders and community partners gathered Thursday to celebrate the official ribbon cutting of Madison’s new Public Safety Training Tower, a major investment designed to elevate emergency readiness for both Madison Fire & Rescue and the Madison Police Department.

Located at 400 Celtic Drive, the four-story, 2,560-square-foot modular facility is built from eight conex boxes and engineered with modular walls to ensure rescue teams can vary their training. The tower provides a dedicated, purpose-built environment where firefighters and police officers can train together and refine mission-critical skills without traveling to out-of-town sites.

For firefighter training, the structure includes burn rooms on three floors capable of safely replicating full-scale residential or building fires. A rooftop vertical ventilation simulator allows crews to practice releasing superheated gases, while movable walls and multiple stairwell types create realistic interior layouts similar to apartments, hotels and multi-story buildings. The tower also features a confined-space floor hatch for basement rescue and tight-entry operations, along with 14 windows and four entry points (two designed for forcible entry) supporting a wide range of rescue and search scenarios. Fire personnel will now be able to complete daily and monthly ISO-required training hours on site.

Fire Chief Brandy Williams said, “This facility is a tremendous benefit to our department. In the past, our firefighters often had to travel out of the city, and frequently on their off days, to complete required training. That meant overtime costs and time spent away from their families. Now, we can conduct those same high-quality training hours right here in Madison. It saves time, saves money and allows our firefighters to train more consistently while still being available to respond quickly when our community needs us.”

The tower also supports Police exercises for both annual in-service training and monthly scenario-based tactical simulations. It includes a simulated hotel floor with a balcony, multiple entry and breach points, and a rappel tower that enables officers to practice tactical movement and high-angle operations.

Police Chief Johnny Gandy noted, “As Madison continues to grow, we have to prepare for growth in every direction, including vertically. This tower gives our officers the ability to train in environments that mirror multi-story buildings, hotels and other structures we encounter more often in a rapidly developing city. Having a facility like this in our own community ensures our team is ready for the evolving challenges that come with serving a growing population.”

City officials emphasized that the facility represents a significant step forward in strengthening coordination between police and fire, improving response capabilities, and ensuring the community is served by well-prepared first responders.

Mayor Ranae Bartlett added, “Public safety is one of our most important responsibilities. By investing in a facility that enhances training, coordination and readiness, we’re ensuring our first responders stay sharp and continue delivering the high standard of service that Madison residents deserve.”

With the tower now operational, both departments will immediately begin incorporating the new space into their regular training cycles.