Description
Indoor Swift Water Training Facility
From Rising Waters to Ready Teams: Advancing Coastal Safety, Regional Readiness, and Community Confidence
When Floodwater Comes, Preparation Decides the Outcome
Floodwater does not wait for daylight or perfect conditions. It moves through neighborhoods, surrounds vehicles, cuts off bridges, and puts both families and rescuers at risk.
On the Georgia coast, water is part of our identity. It is also one of our greatest dangers.
The City of Brunswick is advancing a bold and practical solution: the Indoor Swift Water Training Facility, a year-round, controlled training environment where responders can practice the most dangerous water rescues before they live them.
This is more than a building. It is a life-saving investment in the future of coastal Georgia.
Federal Nexus Reference
42 U.S.C. 5305(a)(1); Economic Development Initiative
This project advances current federal priorities by:
- Empowering state and local governments to lead on risk‑informed resilience and emergency response.
- Reducing federal disaster costs by lowering flood‑related fatalities, injuries, and infrastructure downtime through better-trained response teams.
- Supporting critical national functions, including coastal transportation, tourism, and port‑related commerce that depend on reliable rescue capabilities during flood and storm events.
2026 Updates
Over the past year, the Indoor Swift Water Training Facility has moved from concept to implementation, with the site now secured and ready for development, a larger network of private and regional partners committed to using the facility, and updated analyses confirming strong projected training demand and economic benefits for Brunswick and the surrounding coastal communities.
Why Brunswick and Why Now
Brunswick is a low lying coastal city of more than 15,000 residents with millions of visitors each year. We are surrounded by rivers, marshes, tidal estuaries, bridges, and busy maritime infrastructure.
Our community faces growing risks from:
- Hurricanes and storm surge
- Flash flooding and tidal flooding
- Bridge and roadway water incidents
- Maritime and aircraft over water emergencies
Storms such as Matthew, Irma, and Helene have shown that severe weather is a recurring reality for us, not a rare event.
Yet the nearest comparable indoor swift water facility is more than 200 miles away in North Carolina. For many agencies, advanced training is too far, too costly, or too limited to meet the need.
Brunswick is ready to close this gap for coastal Georgia and the wider region.
What We Are Building
An Indoor Swift Water Training Facility designed to provide advanced, year‑round, risk‑informed training for emergency responders and maritime industries. This one location will simulate real‑world flood, swift water, storm rescue, dive recovery, and submerged‑vehicle rescue scenarios in a safe, controlled environment.
- A 40 by 80 by 6 foot modular swift water tank that can create fast, debris filled, customizable flows that simulate real flood conditions
- A 20 by 30 water storage and dive tower that supports vertical rescue and underwater scenarios
- An 80 by 120 by 24 foot steel training building that allows all weather, all season operations
- A helicopter rollover simulator for aviation and over water rescue training, including Coast Guard and air medical partners
- Systems for submerged vehicle and complex extrication scenarios
- Integrated safety and monitoring technology, including underwater cameras and emergency water shutoff systems
Total project cost: 4,000,000 dollars
Land for the facility: Secured
This facility will serve Brunswick, coastal Georgia, neighboring states, and the broader Southeast.
How This Facility Protects People
Stronger Outcomes in Floods and Water Emergencies
When responders are trained, practiced, and confident, more people survive.
Studies show that establishing strong local swift water capability can reduce flood related fatalities by roughly one third. For a region like ours, that improvement in survival is valued at about 2.31 million dollars in life safety benefit each year, based on conservative federal estimates.
Safer Training for Responders
Traditional outdoor swift water training is among the highest risk activities in fire and rescue work. One department’s ten year data showed:
- 82 training related injuries
- 262,000 dollars in medical costs
- 667 missed workdays
- More than 32,000 dollars in damaged or lost equipment
By moving advanced scenarios into a controlled indoor environment, the facility will significantly reduce injuries, equipment loss, and lost work time, while still allowing realistic, challenging training.
Year Round Readiness
Outdoor training depends on weather, daylight, and river conditions.
Indoor operations mean:
- No cancellations due to weather or river levels
- Night operations and advanced drills are possible any time
- Regular, scheduled courses that maintain skills over time
When a call comes at midnight in a storm, we cannot afford to be out of practice.
Economic and Workforce Benefits
The Indoor Swift Water Training Facility will strengthen both public safety and the local economy. Projected to generate between $3.3 million and $4.8 million annually in regional economic growth.
Jobs and Wages
Economic analysis shows that the facility will do more than train responders; it will also help power the local economy. It is expected to create a substantial number of permanent positions, including instructors, administrative staff, maintenance teams, and outreach personnel, as well as additional regional jobs supported by regular travel to Brunswick for training. Together, these roles are projected to generate millions of dollars in wages each year for the surrounding communities, on top of the temporary employment and local business activity created during construction.
Training Revenue and Visitor Spending
Modeled projections show that the facility can:
- Generate between 510,000 and 996,000 dollars in annual tuition revenue from training courses
- Produce up to 1.69 million dollars per year in total economic impact from operations when multiplier effects are included
Trainees will come from across Georgia and beyond. Estimates range from 791 to 3,085 trainees annually, with 395 to 2,468 of them traveling from outside the local area. Their lodging, meals, and local purchases are expected to generate between 72,000 and 1.99 million dollars per year in additional economic activity.
Local hotels, restaurants, shops, and service providers will see direct, recurring benefits.
Strategic Opportunity Zone Investment
Brunswick is within a federally designated Economic Opportunity Zone.
Investing here supports:
- Life safety and critical skills
- Workforce development and stable jobs
- Long-term neighborhood and economic resilience
This facility represents the kind of infrastructure that both protects people and drives momentum for future growth.
Regional Support and Reach
Regional support for the Indoor Swift Water Training Facility strengthens community safety and directly advances federal priorities for risk informed preparedness, strong state and local leadership, and support for maritime training needs. The project is backed by a growing coalition of public and private partners, including technical colleges, universities, maritime and aviation operators, and local businesses that plan to send trainees, embed courses in their programs, and align workforce initiatives with the facility’s offerings.
- Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency
- Glynn County Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency
- Brunswick Fire Department and surrounding fire and EMS agencies
- College of Coastal Georgia and Coastal Pines Technical College
- U.S. Coast Guard and aviation partners
- Regional business, port, and maritime stakeholders
They recognize that this is not a single city initiative. It is a shared readiness asset for coastal Georgia and The State as a whole.
A Coastal Hub for Resilience and Training
The Indoor Swift Water Training Facility will help Brunswick and the region to:
- Save more lives during storms and flood events
- Reduce injuries and risks for responders
- Strengthen coordination among agencies that share the water and the coastline
- Generate sustainable jobs, training revenue, and visitor spending
- Stand out as a national example of how Opportunity Zone investment can support resilience
When the waters rise, preparation decides the outcome. This facility ensures that our responders, our partners, and our communities are not facing that moment alone or unprepared.
How Partners Can Help
We are actively seeking:
- Federal and state funding support
- Public and private capital partners
- Academic and workforce development collaborations
By joining us in this effort, partners help protect lives, grow the coastal economy, and secure a stronger future for Brunswick and the entire region.
Community Support
Letters of Support Summary Page
This page summarizes key endorsements from federal, state, local, educational, and private-sector partners supporting the City of Brunswick’s proposed Indoor Swift Water Training Facility.
- Jekyll Island Authority
- Brantley County Sheriff's Office- Sheriff Davis 2026
- City of Nahunta 2026
- Emergency Management Association of Georgia (EMAG) 2026
- Golden Isles Chamber of Commerce 2026
- College of Coastal Georgia 2026
- Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency 2026
- Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency 2026
- Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency 2026
- Coastal Pines Technical College
- Glynn County Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency 2026
- Camden County Emergency Management Agency 2026
- Sea Island
- Officer in Charge - US Coast Guard
- Global Medical Response
Representatives in Congress
| Senator Raphael Warnock |
B40D Dirksen Senate Office Building |
| Senator Jon Ossoff |
825 B&C Hart Senate Office Building |
| Representative Buddy Carter |
432 Cannon House Office Building |
