Training Tower

When Station Three was constructed in 1991, retired Fire Chief Oscar Presley already had a vision for the future. Reflecting on the original five-acre property donated by the Dwyer family, he later recalled:

"When we first received the five acres and built Station Three, I planned for a training tower on the back half and had pine trees planted around the field so by the time they were big, they helped block the homes in the subdivision that grew up to the north of the station."

That vision became a reality more than a decade later. On October 8, 2003, the Roscoe Fire Protection District broke ground for a new firefighter training tower behind Station Three. Less than a year later, on September 18, 2004, the department celebrated the completion of the facility during a community Open House. In a surprise ceremony, the department dedicated the building as The Oscar Presley Training Facility, recognizing Chief Presley's foresight and decades of dedication to firefighter training and the Roscoe Fire Protection District.

The training facility was designed to provide firefighters with realistic, hands-on training in a controlled environment. At its center is a two-story training structure featuring a maze of interconnected rooms topped by a four-story training tower. The building can be rapidly filled with artificial smoke, allowing firefighters to repeatedly practice search-and-rescue operations under conditions that closely simulate those encountered during actual structure fires. Furniture, tubing, and other obstacles can be placed throughout the structure to create increasingly challenging training scenarios.

Several specialized burn rooms equipped with burn props allow firefighters to safely practice fire attack and suppression techniques. Outside the building, additional props, including a vehicle and an all-terrain vehicle (ATV), provide opportunities for training on vehicle fires and other specialized incidents.

The facility also supports a wide variety of technical rescue disciplines. A rooftop landing is used for rope rescue training, while two exterior access ladders—including a caged OSHA-compliant safety ladder—allow firefighters to practice elevated operations. Inside the tower, an elevator shaft and a dedicated confined-space training area provide realistic environments for technical rescue exercises. Two overhead ventilation cutouts in the attic allow crews to train on vertical ventilation techniques, further preparing firefighters for the challenges they may encounter on the fireground.

Today, the Oscar Presley Training Facility remains a cornerstone of firefighter education within the Roscoe Fire Protection District. It provides a realistic, versatile environment where firefighters continually develop and maintain the skills needed to safely and effectively serve the community.