Wyoming airport gets $9M for firefighting training facility

An airport in Wyoming will get U.S. government funding to renovate a facility for training firefighters to respond to burning aircraft.

The Federal Aviation Administration requires commercial airports to have aircraft rescue and firefighting personnel. They need training each year.

Only a handful of airports in the region including Casper Natrona County International Airport have facilities to train firefighters for aircraft fires.

The Casper Star-Tribune reports the airport will get almost an almost $9 million federal grant to renovate its facility, which opened in 1995.

Airport Director Glenn Januska says firefighters prefer to train at the Casper facility because it uses diesel fuel for fire scenarios, which is more realistic than other fuels.