Beyond the Lights and Sirens
As the biggest university in the state, the University of Kansas takes on the big projects that make a big difference in your life.
See how KU trains the first responders who run toward danger to protect you and your community.
Two units of the University of Kansas — the Kansas Fire & Rescue Training Institute (KFRTI) and the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center (KLETC) — train the skilled first responders who serve the state.
Keep scrolling to learn more about these key training centers, the critical hands-on instruction they provide, and the ways their graduates save lives in Kansas.
Kansas Fire & Rescue Training Institute
KU trains and certifies firefighters and prospective firefighters in all 105 counties through the Kansas Fire & Rescue Training Institute. The institute also provides training for technical rescues — such as swift-water and trench rescues — as well as training for inspectors and instructors.
This wide-ranging instruction ensures that graduates arrive on the scene prepared to protect you and your community.
KFRTI is the only certifying entity in Kansas. Instructors take their training and national certification assessments to locations across the state at no cost to the fire and emergency departments they work with. In 2025, KFRTI certified 1,330 firefighters, including 266 community college students.
How does KU tailor training for your community?
KFRTI designs each program so that first responders meet national standards and are prepared to protect their local communities. Because each community is different, trainers will factor in department-specific equipment and hazards unique to the first responders’ area.
This personalized training keeps Kansans safe, whether they live on the prairie, in a flood plain, in a small town, or in a densely populated city.
“We don’t have a cookie-cutter program. I come out, and I train to whatever the needs are of that department.”
“Firefighters really want to learn. They really want to grow, and they really want to get better.”
Learning by doing
To develop first responders who are skilled, calm, and confident in dangerous situations, KFRTI trainers create realistic rescue scenarios in safe environments. Through drills and exercises, responders learn the best techniques for handling equipment. This repetition allows them to safely and comfortably implement their training when an emergency call comes in.
“All this training in technical rescue, firefighting — you name it — it’s to build muscle memory over and over again.”
KU helps put firefighters in the field faster.
KFRTI is partnering with KU’s Assessment & Technology Solutions team to shift firefighter certification from paper-based assessments to computer-based testing. This change will reduce test processing times and put more skilled firefighters in the field faster.
“The sooner we can turn around our exam results and get the certifications in the students’ hands, the quicker they can get hired and start working to protect our communities.”
More than putting out fires
Kansas is a big state with diverse landscapes, industries, and risks. To meet the varied needs across the state, KFRTI training includes continuing education courses for first responders, including:
- Grain engulfment rescue
- Vehicle extrication rescue
- Rope rescue
- Swift-water rescue
- Confined space rescue
- Trench rescue operations
- Traffic incident management
The vast range of courses better prepares first responders to serve all Kansans.
When training meets reality
KFRTI training helped save the life of Joey Bernsten, an Allen County farmer. While preparing to load the previous year’s grain to sell, he climbed into his grain bin to clear a bridge, and in seconds, the grain had collapsed, pulling him down to his shoulders.
Among the first responders on the scene was Shon Price, a full-time firefighter at Overland Park Fire Department and a part-time instructor and certification coordinator with KFRTI. Price was among the first instructors when KFRTI developed a grain bin rescue and engulfment training program for Kansas, and he brought both the know-how and the right equipment to the scene.
“Sixty percent of entries lead to fatalities,” Price said. “So the fact that we were able to actually get him out of the grain in about 2 1/2 hours, get him into an ambulance and gone in four hours is significant. And that’s because of this training.”
Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center
The University of Kansas, through the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center, located in Hutchinson, directly trains the majority of city, county, and state law enforcement officers who serve Kansas communities. The center also provides the basic training curriculum for the eight satellite training academies operated by local law enforcement agencies across the state.
“The students that graduate from here are the future leaders of organizations across the state. They’re the chiefs. They’re the sheriffs. They’re the administration of these agencies.”
See how KU is delivering hands-on practical training.
Students in KLETC programs learn through training scenarios that reflect the real-life law enforcement situations they will face in the field. Performing exercises in a controlled environment with instructor feedback allows students to discover and practice the techniques that lead to the best possible outcomes. When the graduates are back in their communities, they can draw on the scenarios they covered in training to handle real-life situations with confidence and skill.
“[Who we] hope is walking out the door is someone that feels confident in their abilities. They understand professionalism. They understand the impact that they’re going to have on their community. They want to go help people and serve their communities and do it in a professional manner.”
Putting training to the test
In March 2026, two KLETC students were traveling home from training for the weekend and came upon a serious crash on I-35. Three people had been ejected from the single-vehicle incident.
Student Robert Cree of the Overland Park Police Department recognized a compound fracture of the femur and severe bleeding in one of the victims. Using a tourniquet issued during his recent training, he stopped the bleeding and helped save the individual’s life.
“Safety is the overarching principle that we’re going for.”
“Students do feel prepared. They do feel confident and hit the ground running when they get out of here.”
Communication training helps keep your community safe.
An important component of KLETC training, practiced in both scenario training and continuing education courses, is working to strengthen communication skills, raise behavioral awareness, and build de-escalation skills. Officers practice active listening and reading people’s emotions and their own. This allows them to communicate across cultures to reduce conflict, build trust, and improve safety during law enforcement encounters.
“It’s one thing to talk about emotional intelligence. It’s one thing to understand or be told what active listening is, but it’s a whole other thing to put it into practice in a scenario and then get feedback on how you did.”
KU creates a safer Kansas
KU is a powerful force for good across the state. Through the Kansas Fire & Rescue Training Institute and Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center, we train the first responders who keep your community safe.