On the evening of August 18, 2000, twelve members of the extended Smith, Heady, and Sumler families laid down to rest at their campsite near the
bridge over the Pecos and Delaware rivers in Eddy County New Mexico. They had no idea that in less than 12 hours, their peaceful calm would
become a raging inferno that they would be engulfed in with no way out.
As they slept, the pressure in the 30-inch natural gas pipeline running over the bridge dropped from 650 psi to 300 psi. The leak was pinpointed by
the monitoring system at El Paso Natural Gas. An employee was dispatched to investigate the drop and shut down the gas flow. It was too late for
the unsuspecting campers.
At 5:35 a.m. on the morning of August 19, 2000, an emergency call came into the Carlsbad Police Department from a resident five miles from the
campsite. The resident reported that an intense explosion had shaken his home and a huge fire was burning nearby.
The Carlsbad Fire Department immediately sent a fire truck and ambulance. The Loving, Joel, and Otis Volunteer Fire Departments also
responded. Carlsbad Fire Chief, Mike Reynolds, recounted that the intensity of the fire required them to stage more than a half-mile away.
When screams suddenly erupted downstream, the responders crashed through dense underbrush and a salt cedar forest. Once they were
through the salt cedars, they found five critically burned adults and one critically burned five year old child. Nearby were the bodies of four
children and two adults. By the end of the day, three of the remaining adults and one child had died either in-flight or at the hospital. One
remaining victim passed away the following week and the other passed away a month later. Twelve family members wiped out in mere moments,
leaving the remaining family and community stunned with grief.
But out of the ashes of this tragic event, there began to emerge the vision of building a regional training center. Ms. Martha Chapman (Nana),
related by blood and marriage to all twelve victims, spearheaded the contribution of a $10 million dollar endowment to the Carlsbad Community
Foundation (The Foundation), in memory of the family. Another $2 million dollars came from the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Federal Education
Funds to help the vision become a reality.
In December 2002, a committee was formed to determine the center’s needs. Throughout 2003 and 2004, local, regional, federal, and industrial
public safety representatives from Eddy, Lea, and Chaves Counties visited three facilities to establish benchmarks for the new plan. Their Strategic
Plan was published in April of 2004.
The Foundation purchased 95 acres of land from the City of Carlsbad in the Industrial Park near the Cavern City Airport. The Foundation
established a new non-profit organization named the Permian Basin Regional Training Center (PBRTC).
The Foundation awarded contracts to Hermes Architects and Kimley-horn to design the training center fire grounds. Greer Construction
constructed the fire grounds and Kidde Fire Trainers supplied the props and fire generation equipment.
The PBRTC held its Grand Opening April 14 to April 19, 2008. The theme of the dedication was “Hope”. The highlight of the event was Thursday’s
Open House when the family held a ribbon cutting and memorial dedication for the Bobby and Terry Smith Educational Center, in remembrance of
the twelve family members who passed away in the fire. Other events were held throughout the week for neighbors, regional business, area
leadership, and regional responders.
The PBRTC offers fire training for; structural fire, public fire prevention, law enforcement, confined space / trench rescue, aircraft fire / rescue,
emergency vehicle operations, oil and gas industry, safety, emergency operations, and hazardous materials incidents.
State-of-the art training takes place in a cityscape with roadways, a two-story observation tower, a five-story hotel training tower, a two-story
apartment and retail building, a one-story residence, eight types of outdoor fire training props, live-fire simulators for LPG emergencies, a railroad
accident site, vehicle extrication area, and a drafting pit. The Mobile Fire Trainer is a 30-ft mobile structural training unit that is available for
departments to use off-site. There is also a portable fire extinguisher trainer available for agencies to train with off-site. Not only is the PBRTC
utilized by first responder agencies, other government agencies and industrial companies also make use of the PBRTC.
The vision of Martha Chapman and her family has become a reality. They now have the assurance that the Permian Basin Regional Training Center
will provide first responders the education, skills, and hands-on experience they will need to meet future catastrophes.
bridge over the Pecos and Delaware rivers in Eddy County New Mexico. They had no idea that in less than 12 hours, their peaceful calm would
become a raging inferno that they would be engulfed in with no way out.
As they slept, the pressure in the 30-inch natural gas pipeline running over the bridge dropped from 650 psi to 300 psi. The leak was pinpointed by
the monitoring system at El Paso Natural Gas. An employee was dispatched to investigate the drop and shut down the gas flow. It was too late for
the unsuspecting campers.
At 5:35 a.m. on the morning of August 19, 2000, an emergency call came into the Carlsbad Police Department from a resident five miles from the
campsite. The resident reported that an intense explosion had shaken his home and a huge fire was burning nearby.
The Carlsbad Fire Department immediately sent a fire truck and ambulance. The Loving, Joel, and Otis Volunteer Fire Departments also
responded. Carlsbad Fire Chief, Mike Reynolds, recounted that the intensity of the fire required them to stage more than a half-mile away.
When screams suddenly erupted downstream, the responders crashed through dense underbrush and a salt cedar forest. Once they were
through the salt cedars, they found five critically burned adults and one critically burned five year old child. Nearby were the bodies of four
children and two adults. By the end of the day, three of the remaining adults and one child had died either in-flight or at the hospital. One
remaining victim passed away the following week and the other passed away a month later. Twelve family members wiped out in mere moments,
leaving the remaining family and community stunned with grief.
But out of the ashes of this tragic event, there began to emerge the vision of building a regional training center. Ms. Martha Chapman (Nana),
related by blood and marriage to all twelve victims, spearheaded the contribution of a $10 million dollar endowment to the Carlsbad Community
Foundation (The Foundation), in memory of the family. Another $2 million dollars came from the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Federal Education
Funds to help the vision become a reality.
In December 2002, a committee was formed to determine the center’s needs. Throughout 2003 and 2004, local, regional, federal, and industrial
public safety representatives from Eddy, Lea, and Chaves Counties visited three facilities to establish benchmarks for the new plan. Their Strategic
Plan was published in April of 2004.
The Foundation purchased 95 acres of land from the City of Carlsbad in the Industrial Park near the Cavern City Airport. The Foundation
established a new non-profit organization named the Permian Basin Regional Training Center (PBRTC).
The Foundation awarded contracts to Hermes Architects and Kimley-horn to design the training center fire grounds. Greer Construction
constructed the fire grounds and Kidde Fire Trainers supplied the props and fire generation equipment.
The PBRTC held its Grand Opening April 14 to April 19, 2008. The theme of the dedication was “Hope”. The highlight of the event was Thursday’s
Open House when the family held a ribbon cutting and memorial dedication for the Bobby and Terry Smith Educational Center, in remembrance of
the twelve family members who passed away in the fire. Other events were held throughout the week for neighbors, regional business, area
leadership, and regional responders.
The PBRTC offers fire training for; structural fire, public fire prevention, law enforcement, confined space / trench rescue, aircraft fire / rescue,
emergency vehicle operations, oil and gas industry, safety, emergency operations, and hazardous materials incidents.
State-of-the art training takes place in a cityscape with roadways, a two-story observation tower, a five-story hotel training tower, a two-story
apartment and retail building, a one-story residence, eight types of outdoor fire training props, live-fire simulators for LPG emergencies, a railroad
accident site, vehicle extrication area, and a drafting pit. The Mobile Fire Trainer is a 30-ft mobile structural training unit that is available for
departments to use off-site. There is also a portable fire extinguisher trainer available for agencies to train with off-site. Not only is the PBRTC
utilized by first responder agencies, other government agencies and industrial companies also make use of the PBRTC.
The vision of Martha Chapman and her family has become a reality. They now have the assurance that the Permian Basin Regional Training Center
will provide first responders the education, skills, and hands-on experience they will need to meet future catastrophes.
Additional plans include:
- Nana's Fire and Safety School. This endeavor will focus on fire prevention and safety programs for children ages K-5th Grade.
- An indoor shooting range
- An Emergency Vehicle Operations Course (EVOC)
- Additional parking and more classrooms.
Permian Basin Regional Training Center
1400 Commerce Drive
Carlsbad, NM 88220
United States
ph: 575-885-2366
fax: 575-885-2379
1400 Commerce Drive
Carlsbad, NM 88220
United States
ph: 575-885-2366
fax: 575-885-2379
| Copyright 2006-2010 Permian Basin Regional Training Center All Rights Reserved Maintained by Dawn Smith |
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