Brockport Firefighters recently cut the ribbon and dedicated the new Live Burn Training Facility at the old Owens-Illinois site, on Owens Road just north of the railroad tracks. The property is owned by the Allied Group. The training trailer provides an interior facility specifically designed to allow firefighters to train in a controlled environment, while experiencing the range of heat and smoke they will be faced with in an actual "room and contents" fire according to Fire Chief Christian McCullough. Congressmen Tom Reynolds was instrumental and supportive of the federal legislation which authorized FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) to support grant applications specifically for fire departments across the country and distribute the funding this year. The trailer cost approximately $66,000. It features removable panels firefighters can cut into simulating ventilation techniques which can be replaced after they have been used, and movable walls that can be rearranged inside to prevent familiarity when attempting to navigate in zero visibility smoke conditions. This provides a challenge for trainees of what they will be faced with when they enter a home or structure they are unfamiliar with. McCullough dedicated the facility to the firefighters who had come before and to those that would use it now and into the future to protect lives and property in the greater Brockport community. A live burn demonstration followed the ribbon cutting and those in attendance were able to watch the fire and smoke grow in intensity through a video link to a thermal imaging camera used by one of the department's trainers who was inside the building. |
