2008 News
July 1, 2008
Bucks County Cuts Ribbon on New, Class A Firefighting Training Building
The Board of Bucks County Commissioners and members of the county firefighting community today cut the ribbon on a new, live-fire, Class A firefighting training building.
Participating in the ribbon cutting were Bucks County Commissioners Jim Cawley, Charley Martin and Diane Ellis-Marseglia, Buck County Community College President James Linksz, Bucks County Chiefs and Firefighters Association President Thomas Markey, and Eddie Copper, chairman of the planning committee.
The custom designed, state-of-the-art, high rise fire simulator was exclusively designed to Bucks County training requirements by Edmeades & Stromdahl Ltd., and constructed by WHP training towers. The training building provides opportunities for firefighters to practice skills needed to fight commercial, industrial and residential fires.
“We are proud that the facilities at the Bucks County Public Safety Training Center are full back ‘on line,’ and we continue to be the area leader for emergency responder training,” said Commissioner Chairman Jim Cawley, “This burn building will prepare firefighters from throughout the region with a multitude of training situations, to protect them as they protect us on a daily basis.”
During the planning stage, intensive research looked at designing and building an affordable, versatile, and realistic training tower that would provide a variety of environments and conditions for firefighters. The structural skin is 18-gauge steel. Doors and windows are designed for heavy use. The eight burn rooms are lined with a blend of Super PadgeniteTM and Duraliner HTTM. These materials are capable of continuous service at temperature ranges to 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The complex is weather-tight and designed to require minimal maintenance.
“It’s great to see this new high-tech structure in place,” said Dr. Linksz, president of Bucks County Community College, “The college and the county have been strong partners in providing fire service education and jointly enjoy an excellent reputation for high quality training.”
The training building includes a four-story stair tower, a residential section with attic and a single-story annex. It features eight Class A burn rooms allowing firefighters the opportunity to train using live fire. Rappelling anchors offer high-angle rescue training.
Various training scenarios can be accomplished through the use of twenty four moveable maze panels, two forcible entry doors, a four-story standpipe and sprinkler system. Roof training will incorporate caged ladders, a dual-pitched roof, chop-outs for ventilation exercises, parapet walls, bar grate working deck and exterior stairs.
Following the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the commissioners joined Bucks County Community College officials and firefighters for a tour of the many facets the burn building will offer to the firefighting community.
Click here for audio of the Burn Building Ribbon Cutting Event.