O.B. Fire & Rescue training facility will open this month
O.B. Fire & Rescue training facility will open this month
The new 10,000 sq. ft. Orange Beach Fire Rescue training facility will open this month on the Fire Station No. 1 campus, behind City Hall. Construction on the $1.9 million building started in September.
The training center will also include a flashover simulator, and an adjacent live fire training building is currently being built.
The live fire training facility will be designed to mimic occupancies within Orange Beach Fire Rescue’s response area, such as condominiums with exterior corridors and multistory residential buildings. It will also include built-in props for ventilation, rope rescue, and forcible entry.
The flashover simulator allows a simulation of a flashover in a safe environment, enabling firefighters to witness the conditions leading up to a flashover event, enhancing the department’s ability to train on fire behavior, situational awareness, decision-making, and survival skills under extreme conditions.
“The addition of the flashover simulator, along with the continued development of our training facility and live fire training building, represents a major investment in firefighter safety, preparedness, and professional development,” Fire Chief Jeff Smith said. “These tools allow our personnel to train for realistic, high-risk incidents in a controlled environment so they are better prepared to protect our community when real emergencies occur.”
Chief Smith said the department is grateful for the continued support of Mayor Tony Kennon and the City Council. “Their commitment to public safety is helping build one of the premier firefighter training programs along the Gulf Coast,” he said.
The new training facility will have:
• A 2,000-square-foot training/meeting room that can be divided.
• Office space for training and Surf Rescue staff, a gym, showers, locker room, kitchen, conference room and an apparatus bay area for surf rescue vehicles.
Firefighters must be prepared for low frequency, high risk emergencies they may not encounter every day, but that can have devastating consequences if firefighters are not properly trained.