Plan proposed for Fire & Rescue training grounds

Fire & Rescue will get a new and improved training area this year, thanks to state grant money.

The site at 602 Courthouse Road, east of Colonial Forge High School, used to have an old house that was an eyesore, Acting Chief Mark Lockhart said at Tuesday’s public safety committee meeting. It was recently demolished since it was not usable.

“We want to re-purpose the land to be more effective,” Lockhart said.

Over the next several months, work will be done on the 3.9 acre site, of which 1.4 acres is already cleared and ready to use. The other portion is mostly wooded. An 8-foot fence will be built around the training area.

Lockhart presented the three-member committee a diagram showing the props that are proposed for the land, including:

• Designated parking area
• Ventilation simulator
• Mayday! Firefighter down prop
• Fire behavior/flashover simulator
• Car fire simulator
• Pavilion
• Forcible entry simulator
• Modular facility (future possibility, once it’s done being used as Station 14)
• Vehicle rescue training pad

Funds for the training props come from the Virginia Department of Fire Programs. Recent trainings have been held in Orange, Hanover and Loudon counties. Two volunteer academies are held each year.

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