New fire station with state-of-art equipment will offer training to high school kids

When Overland Park officials decided it was time to build a fire station in the growing southwest part of the city, they were hamstrung. Like a homebuyer in a seller’s market, the fire department couldn’t find affordable land in the right location.

The answer?

A partnership that’s giving birth to both a fire station and a new career program for students in the Blue Valley School District.

Fire Station No. 48 is under construction on donated land near Blue Valley Southwest High School, and the school district is gearing up to offer a fire science program using Overland Park training facilities and instructors from the fire department.

Graduates will be equipped to take the exams required to enter the fire service.

“I’ve been very impressed. Solving problems with them, and putting a program together, has been a treat. They’re high horsepower,” said Overland Park Fire Chief Bryan Dehner. “And the potential of having great recruits, with additional diversity that we’ve been looking for… is something we’re pretty excited about.”

Station 48 will serve an 8-square-mile area annexed by the city in 2008. Fire District No. 2 continued to handle calls initially, but as the city prepared to take over, it was clear that the district’s station wasn’t in the right place. Other stations weren’t close, either.

“Olathe doesn’t get there very fast. Fire District 2 doesn’t get to that area very fast, and Overland Park doesn’t get there very fast,” Dehner said.

More than five years ago, officials decided that a station would be needed “where the people are.” But farmers had only large tracts to sell, Dehner said, and other property was in the hands of developers.

“We didn’t want to buy 100 acres. We wanted to buy 3 acres.”

Twice, the city moved to condemn property, Dehner said, but backed out for fear a court would set the price too high.

That frustration, Dehner said, prompted Overland Park’s city manager to go “hat in hand” to the Blue Valley school superintendent to see if the district could help. As it turned out, each had something the other wanted.

Overland Park had been looking for property in the Quivira Road corridor, and Blue Valley Southwest is right there, near 175th Street. Blue Valley provided 2.4 acres on campus — at no cost.

In return, Overland Park is making its facilities available for free to fire science students. The department will add a full-time employee, Dehner said, and provide instruction through a cost-sharing arrangement.

The program will be open to juniors and seniors who will spend a half-day taking fire science courses, mainly at the city’s fire training center at 124th and Hemlock streets.

First-year courses include hazardous materials and emergency medical services, and firefighting techniques will be taught the second year. The medical courses alone can be taken by students aspiring to become EMTs.

Along the way, students can earn credit for some of the coursework through Johnson County Community College.

“We are working right now to increase community awareness of this exciting opportunity for students. Our aim is to begin with our first cohort of students in the fall of 2021,” Kaci Brutto, spokeswoman for the Blue Valley School District, said by email. “Access to resources, training facilities and OPFD staff will ensure that Blue Valley students have a rich and engaging learning experience.”

What sets this program apart, Dehner said, is the opportunity for qualified students to work as interns in the Overland Park Fire Department, which will make them more competitive in the marketplace.

“When you have 100 people applying for five jobs, it’s important to have that experience,” Dehner said.

Meanwhile, the city is incorporating newer design concepts into the $5.9 million Station 48, set for completion in late summer:

▪ Vehicles can be driven in and out of the station without the danger of backing up.

▪ With eight private bunk rooms and nearby gender-neutral bathrooms, the station will accommodate any fire company, regardless of the male/female ratio.

▪ To reduce the risk of cancer and infectious disease, the station design forces crews to clean themselves of blood-borne pathogens and other contaminants before entering the living area. That design is a first for Overland Park.

“Studies have shown for a long time that firefighters are not only exposed to carcinogens in their breathing, but things get on their skin, in their clothing and get transferred to different places,” said Jason Rhodes, public information officer for the fire department.

“So we’re just constantly trying to look for better ways to clean that up and keep those contaminants out of our living spaces, to keep them from going home with us to our families.”

This story was originally published January 7, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "New fire station with state-of-art equipment will offer training to high school kids."