The Washington State Patrol Fire Training Division complex is where the new burn training structures are being dedicated. The buildings reside on a 51-acre training complex east of North Bend Washington. WSP Photo

By Timothy Schumann | The Center Square

(The Center Square) – This Friday in North Bend, Washington, the Washington State Patrol Fire Training Academy is dedicating two new burn buildings by lighting them ablaze.

The State Fire Marshal’s Office is organized as a bureau under the umbrella of the Washington State Patrol.

“The structures will allow larger and more realistic live-fire training exercises and will be heavily used by firefighting agencies across the state in the years to come. Media members are invited to attend for coverage of the ribbon cutting and brief remarks by state leaders, followed by live-fire demonstrations as well as guided tours of the expansive fire-fighting training complex,” reads the news release from WSP Director of Communications Chris Loftis.

Known as the Fire Protection Bureau, it consists of Emergency Mobilization, Fire Code and Information Services, Fire Services Training and the Regional Fire Protection Services and has two separate divisions: the Fire Prevention Division and the Fire Training Division.

The Fire Prevention Division is “active in providing a variety of Fire Protection services including fire inspections for licensed care facilities, plan review of schools, data collection, analysis, licensing and certification of the fire sprinkler, fireworks, and cigarette industries to both public and private sectors.”

The Fire Training Division complex is where the new structures are being dedicated and resides on a 51-acre training complex east of North Bend.

“The work our State Fire Marshal, as well as the Academy Commander and his fine staff in North Bend have done is impressive. Our facility is one of the premier training locations in the country. These new training resources will save lives in Washington,” WSP Chief John Batiste said in the news release, while also highlighting the existing 6-story burn tower on facility grounds.

The buildings, originally estimated at between $7.7 million and $11 million, were recently completed as part of the Washington State Patrol’s 2023-2025 capital spend.

The Center Square reached out to WSP Director of Communications Chris Loftis for a final construction cost on the project and it came in under budget at a grand total of $7.3 million.