Scope of Work
This state-of-the-art North Carolina Emergency Training Center is one of the nation’s premier facilities for emergency response training. When filled, the Swiftwater rescue channel will hold nine million gallons of water, powered by four massive pumps capable of moving 200,000 gallons per minute.
Wayne Brothers’ scope included both sitework + utilities and concrete construction. Sitework + utilities encompassed clearing, erosion control, utilities installation, hardscapes, road paving, and extensive rock blasting. The concrete package included foundations, walls, radius walls, slabs-on-grade, shored slabs, and shotcrete applications. Our team also self-performed steel framing, decking, stairs, and railings for prop buildings, along with miscellaneous angles and grating.
Unique Challenges
Delivering a project of this scale required creative solutions and precise coordination. Portions of the site had to open early so the airport and Air Force could begin training—while construction continued nearby. Unexpected rock conditions required additional blasting near both an active airport and a county jail, demanding complex scheduling coordination. Rather than exporting excess rock, our team repurposed it on-site for decorative boulders and channel rapids, saving time and cost for the client.
The concrete scope introduced further technical challenges. Over six miles of stainless-steel Unistrut were cast into the channel slab to anchor custom rapid blocks. Because of the water exposure, the Unistrut couldn’t touch any dissimilar metals, requiring a custom isolation and anchoring system. Every slab was uniquely sloped to shed water, with several too steep for conventional forming—completed using shotcrete in partnership with Boulderscape. To ensure a watertight structure, PVC waterstop was installed at every joint, and all bulkheads had to be secured without puncturing the underlying 60-mil liner.
