Fire training center addition triples size

Firefighters from throughout northwest Alabama use the fire rescue training center in Florence to test their skills in realistic drills, participate in livefire simulations, and take refresher courses designed specifically for emergency personnel.

The facility is an Alabama Fire College regional training center. Departments from throughout the state and nation, as well as the Department of Defense, have used it for training sessions.

With a facility in such demand, officials are in the process of expanding it. A new training center is being built at the training facility on Chisholm Road.

Florence Fire Chief Tim Anerton said the new expansion measures approximately 40×50 feet, which triples the capacity of the existing one built in 1997.

Workers finished installing shingles on the roof of the facility last week and work is on schedule for completion in September, Anerton said.

Fresh Works employees are shown working on the exterior framing of a new classroom building at the Florence Fire Rescue training center on Chisholm Road. The building is expected to triple the center’s classroom capacity.

The contractor for the $304,000 project is Fresh Works.

“Electricians are finishing up in the classroom, pulling all the wiring in the receptacles, and workers should be ready to hang sheetrock next week,” Anerton said The building is divided into two classrooms.

“I need the capacity and to hold dual classes at the same time,” Anerton said. “The small one has room for 20 people and large one about 45 people.”

Training Chief Jason Kelley said the Florence facility is used by outside departments approximately 15 times a year.

Russellville Fire Chief Joe Mansell said if there is a class Florence Fire and Rescue offers, he’s one of the first to sign his employees up for the class.

“It’s a lot easier and more cost effective to send our guys to Florence than we would to Tuscaloosa,” Mansell said. “We could only afford to send one or two firefighters to Tuscaloosa, but then you are talking about [the expense] of lodging and other things. By sending our guys to Florence, it’s just a few minutes up the road and they are back home at the end of the day.”

Mansell said the training his firefighters get in Florence is top-notch.

“Florence has always done a great job of offering training which is beneficial to smaller departments as well as departments their size,” he said. “I know the work they are doing to make improvements at their facility will translate to more training opportunities for our guys, so I’m excited to see that facility get an upgrade.”