A proposal for a fire department training facility in a metal building could mean better protection for Lake Country, Wisc., communities during training - and the opportunity for future firefighters to get some training while still in school.

The Town of Lisbon and Village of Hartland departments proposed locating a 30-foot high, 16-20-foot wide metal building on the Arrowhead campus at the school's Buildings and Grounds Committee yesterday.

Next month, Arrowhead officials plan to investigate the possibility, firming up details for the potential steel building.

"We're looking for a location at Arrowhead by the retention pond at North Campus, west of the existing parking lot by the soccer field," said Dave Dean, assistant fire chief for Hartland.

The idea behind putting the three-story tower on the Arrowhead grounds is that it is a central location for nine area fire departments - such as Merton, Lake Country, North Lake, Stone Bank and others - to train.

Committee members saw the possible metal building project as beneficial to the area departments and their communities.

"We look at it as a unique opportunity," Dean said.

Fire towers are used for a variety of exercises, including rope rescues. Training sessions would involve 1-2 fire department vehicles and about a dozen people.

Because of the central location, if there were a fire emergency, those in training would be able to quickly return to their community.

Of primary concern for committee members is that the Arrowhead campus is in constant use not only during the regular class day, but also after school hours for athletics and other activities.

The fire departments would be subject to scheduling activities through Arrowhead's activities office, the same as anyone else who wanted to make use of Arrowhead facilities.

Construction and maintenance of this and future prefabricated metal buildings would be the responsibility of the fire departments, which would also carry the insurance for any liability involved with the tower.

At locations without hydrants, fire departments would need to bury water tanks for water needed during their training exercises.

At this point, the fire departments' main concern is finding a location for the metal building, and feedback from the committee would allow the departments to start a timeline for possible construction.

A steel building might not be an "aesthetically pleasing" building, as one board member voiced, and some have already spoken to officials about its potential design specifications.