Known to many Fire Service Training patrons as the “Out West” facility, the Fire and Emergency Services Training Center admirably serves the Oklahoma fire service as its new title implies. Located south of Highway 51, six miles west of Stillwater, the FESTC is best known as Oklahoma’s major host site for firefighter academies and various live burn training sessions. The training center is 56 acres, with 14 currently secured for fire training. The facility was funded in 1981 by the 1st session of the 38th Oklahoma Legislature through the leadership of Speaker of the House of Representatives Dan Draper Jr. The approved funding was obtained through cooperation with the Oklahoma Commission on Fire Protection personnel standards and education. The appropriation for the construction of the fire training facility was $550,000. On April 29, 1984, the facility was first used for a Fire Fighter I basic academy course under Harold R. Mace, then director of Fire Service Training.