Senator Marshall Celebrates Kansas Workforce Development Funding to Support Wildfire Risk Management

TOPEKA, KS – U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. is proud to announce $3,263,176 in federal funding from the U.S. Economic Development Administration to the Kansas Forest Service, in partnership with Kansas State University, for the construction of a new workforce development facility to support natural resource and wildfire risk management. 

“The Kansas Forest Service provides invaluable manpower, equipment, resources and expertise to help local firefighting units across our state battle fires of all types,” said Senator Marshall. “This new facility will not only provide invaluable training opportunities, but will allow the Forest Service to continue its important work of overhauling used equipment for use by local fire departments.”

The new Kansas Forest Service facility will include a larger, modernized fire equipment shop to allow the agency to continue its work of retrofitting used military equipment for use by local fire departments. It will also include an emergency response training lab and classroom for continued workforce development and instruction, which is in line with the state’s Wildfire Task Force recommendations for improving wildfire mitigation and response efforts.