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High rise fire training facility to be named for late Chief Alan Burns
PLAINFIELD — Later this week the Indiana State Fire Marshal’s Office and other agencies will dedicate what will become Indiana’s premiere live burn fire training facility.
At nine stories tall, it will be the second tallest such facility in the United States, second only to a structure in California.
While the nearby location in Plainfield will make it a relatively short drive for local firefighters, that’s not the deepest connection to Putnam County.
Rather, the facility will be named after one of Putnam County’s own — the late Madison Township Fire Chief Alan Burns.
Indiana Department of Correction Executive Director Kevin Orme, who had connections to Burns through both the fire service and the DOC, where they both worked, helped to design the new facility. He agreed to help with this task but asked that the facility be named in honor of Burns, who taught leadership classes and developed a group of fire chiefs in his own time as chief. Burns was even the training officer at Putnamville Correctional Facility at the time of his death at age 39 in 1998.
“It’s only fitting that we name it after Alan,” Orme said.
So it is that ground will be broken at 1:30 p.m. Thursday for the Alan W. Burns High-rise Training Center.
While the new facility does not have an official address, it will be on the same grounds as the Heritage Trail Correctional Facility at 501 W. Main St., Plainfield, as well as the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy.
“It’s quite an honor,” Alan’s father Wayne told the Banner Graphic.
“He lived that fire department,” sister Lori Smith said.
After Alan joined the fire department in 1986, it became a family affair for he and wife Cassie, whose son Bryce later joined the department as well.
“I was on the fire department with him as chief,” Bryce recalled. “I remember my first structure fire with him as a chief, they had to pull me out. I got overheated, and they had to strip me down to nothing and put me in the back of the ambulance to cool me down.”
Alan and Cassie were often on the move with that ambulance, taking it to Lincoln Park Speedway each weekend to be on duty for races.
Smith has fond memories of her brother.
“Alan like to pick on people — he was a character for sure,” she said. “You never really saw Alan mad or upset or anything. He always had a smile on his face.
“They say only the good die young. He did, I guess,” Smith said. “I must be a bad one.”
“I guess I’m a bad one,” father Wayne added with a laugh.
The honor also got Wayne reflecting on his late wife Julie.
“It’s quite an honor, I think. I just hate that Julie missed it,” Wayne said.
“Alan and Mom are watching over us,” Lori countered. “She sees it.”
For his part, Bryce is proud to see his dad so honored.
“It’s a big honor that this is happening,” he said. “We as a family are excited about accepting it.”