Vincennes and Knox County are set to receive a new state-of-the-art firefighter training facility as part of the Indiana Department of Homeland Security’s Hub-and-Spoke training model.

Announced during the dedication of the Alan W. Burns Fire Training Center in Plainfield on Thursday,  the Vincennes Fire Department and Vincennes Township Fire Department were selected to jointly receive the new facility. This expansion aims to bring live fire training closer to firefighters across the state, eliminating so-called “training deserts.”

The new Vincennes site will feature advanced equipment and a burn structure, allowing local firefighters to practice essential skills required for Firefighter I and II certifications. This facility is part of the third phase of Indiana’s plan to build five new training locations, including in Covington, Winchester, Seymour, and Plainfield. The towers will offer physical, hands-on training within 30 miles of every career and volunteer department.

The sites will join the first four new physical training locations in Corydon, Linton, Rensselaer and Wabash, which became operational in earlier this year.

The Hub-and-Spoke model was developed to ensure consistent, high-quality training for firefighters across Indiana, especially in rural areas where access has been limited. State Fire Marshal Steve Jones and Indiana Department of Corrections leaders broke ground on the Plainfield facility on October 10, which will act as the central hub of the model. The nine-story training center in Plainfield will serve as a national model for high-rise fire training, offering realistic scenarios for both residential and commercial firefighting.