Fire training facility proposed for Monett Fire Department

Major improvements and new resources for the Monett Fire Department were proposed to the Monett City Council during an October work session.
Fire Chief Brandon Pennington described a training facility he has discussed with Police Chief George Daoud that could be located behind the police station on East Cleveland Avenue, west of the dog pound. Daoud has planned for such a facility for the past seven years, Pennington added.
A training facility in town would add another 35 points to the city’s fire rating under the Insurance Services Office (ISO). Presently Monett firefighters do in-house training or travel to other departments. Each firefighter needs 18 hours of training per year to maintain certification.
Pennington described visiting training facilities in Battlefield, Nixa, Joplin and Springfield. He described the three-story facility he recommended as a “Lincoln Logs” series of components, with interchangeable rooms for specific scenarios and different kinds of training. His proposals had two burn rooms and a basement that could be combined into a several-story structure.
Advantages, he noted, went beyond the opportunity to host area departments and improve networking. The Barry-Lawrence Ambulance District now offers a class through the Greater Ozarks Centers for Advanced Professional Studies (GO CAPS) that teaches emergency medical technician skills to high school students. The fire department could offer firefighter 1 and 2 training with GO CAPS. “When they graduate, they’d have a career waiting for them,” Pennington said.
No department close to Monett has comparable training facilities. Central Crossing near Shell Knob has one, but there are none in Lawrence County. Pennington said departments presently either go to Crowder College in Neosho or Ozarks Technical College in Springfield. Monett’s central location would offer a convenient site for area firefighters to train. Police could use it for SWAT training, he added.
In addition, Pennington said a lower ISO rating could offer a significant incentive to residents living on the outskirts of the city who may consider annexing. The city presently has a Class 4 ISO rating. The department’s goal has been to lower it to a Class 3 since the city’s comprehensive plan was drafted in 1997. A training facility could help lower the rating as far as a Class 2. Since property covered by the Monett Rural Fire District has a Class 6 rating, the change could offer significant savings on fire insurance.
Costs, in addition to an 80-by-80-foot concrete pad, would run more than $600,000. Some potential exists for cost sharing. Pennington looked at two companies making such facilities, and recommended Lone Star Tactical out of Waller, Texas. Council members found the proposal intriguing and worth further exploration. City Administrator Mickey Ary suggested funds may be available from the city’s use tax, now placed into the general fund, for such a goal.
Pennington brought updates on the new fire truck under construction by Pierce Manufacturing in Bradenton, Florida. After discussion, this replacement for the No. 15 rescue truck would have a fire suppression system added on one side, with rescue equipment on the other, making it two trucks in one. Cost will run around $650,000. The truck, already dubbed Cub Nation, will be ready in June 2026.
The department planned to keep the old truck, the chief said, adding more points to the city’s ISO rating.
In addition, Pennington discussed replacing the city’s 1996 ladder truck. He offered quotes from four different companies, all offering lease purchase options. He noted the ladder truck remains in constant demand. The department responded to a mutual aid request four times in the past month to help the Aurora department with structure fires. Pennington wanted to get a truck that would have the potential to reach a fourth floor. The current truck only goes to a second floor.
A ladder truck would cost around $1,657,000 and take from 12 to 49 months to deliver, depending on the manufacturer. Pennington preferred the single-axle Pierce truck, as the department has used Pierce trucks for many decades. He noted double-axle trucks are wider and are “hard to fit on our streets.” Pierce builds a stock truck that would be ready quicker, while the other manufacturers would all have to custom-build a ladder truck.
Like the rescue truck, the old ladder truck, now deemed to be “at the end of its life,” could nonetheless be retained, adding more points to the city’s ISO evaluation.
Pennington also discussed securing a command vehicle for the department. The city bid on a command vehicle sold by Nixa but fell $500 short of the sale price. A command vehicle would have communication equipment as well as tools, looking like a camper with a slide-out tray. Such a vehicle could be used in any major scenario, as police use the same radios. The Monett Rural Fire District has no command vehicle. Cassville and Central Crossing have one, and Purdy has one coming.
The city has $6,600 to put toward a command vehicle, secured through the sale of an ambulance acquired from Purple Wave online auction service. Council members agreed to have Pennington pursue acquiring such an equipped vehicle.