PRESS RELEASE: Calibre Engineering Powers New Era of Flood and Swiftwater Training in North Carolina

Photo Credit: Shane Palmer

The North Carolina Emergency Training Center is the nation’s newest and most advanced training center for emergency responders.

HIGHLANDS RANCH, COLO. (Nov.18, 2025) – Calibre Engineering, Inc. (Calibre), specialists in civil, structural, and whitewater engineering, is proud to announce the successful completion of the North Carolina Emergency Training Center (NCETC) at the Stanly County Airport in New London, N.C. The most advanced emergency training center in the country, the new flood and swiftwater training facility is designed to give fire, rescue, and emergency personnel realistic, high-stakes training in a safe, controlled environment.

The NCETC features a Swiftwater Rescue Training Channel; a multi-acre flatwater training pond that accommodates basic skills training, dive training, and motorized boat training; and an Urban Flood Simulator, where first responders practice rescues in flooded streets and structures. Massive pumps move high volumes of water through the Swiftwater Rescue Training Channel and Urban Flood Rescue Simulator, allowing responders to experience and manage simulated flood events in a true urban environment.

“As the frequency and intensity of flooding events escalate nationwide, the need for effective emergency response training has never been more critical,” said Scott Shipley, Calibre’s Whitewater Division Manager and principal designer of the swiftwater rescue facility. “What we create are realistic training centers that mimic the power, speed, and turbulence of real-life flood scenarios so that First Responders can prepare for rescues when disaster strikes.”

Calibre served as project lead on the flood training facility, creating the dynamic environments that mimic the complexities and unpredictability of actual flood conditions. Calibre also provided construction oversight to ensure that the hydraulic features functioned effectively as designed.

This major investment in a state-of-the-art public safety readiness was developed in collaboration with the North Carolina Office of State Fire Marshal, the North Carolina Air National Guard Fire Department, Stanly County, and Stanly Community College. The year-round facility will serve departments from across the state and region, enhancing capacity and ensuring exponentially more first responders receive advanced, hands-on training.

Calibre brings extensive experience in designing and delivering specialized training infrastructure across the country. The firm’s expertise in hydraulics, civil design, and mission-critical infrastructure has helped shape a new generation of public safety and emergency training facilities, including those focused on swiftwater and flood response.

Additional project development partners include Cloward H2o, Barnhill Contracting, and Boomerang Design.

About Calibre Engineering

Calibre Engineering is a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) providing civil, structural, and whitewater engineering services in the United States (U.S.) and across the globe. Known for “reinventing whitewater,” Calibre’s Whitewater Division specializes in community-focused whitewater design. Their team of expert boater-engineers has planned, designed, and created some of the best in-stream whitewater parks, as well as the largest and most dynamic recirculating whitewater parks in the world, and some of the first swiftwater facilities in the U.S. The Whitewater Division is led by Scott Shipley, a three-time Olympian and three-time World Cup Kayak Champion. For more information, visit calibre-engineering.com.

Photo Credit: Shane Palmer

Photo Credit: Shane Palmer