Cranberry Township Fire Department Set To Open $450,000 Burn Building This Summer
CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP (KDKA) -- When emergency responders in Cranberry Township need training, they head over to the township's Public Safety Training Center off Route 19.
During a tour of the complex, which was built in 2012, Chief Scott Garing of the Cranberry Twp. Volunteer Fire Department told KDKA, "There's a classroom facility that facilitates approximately 100 students. There's a shooting range for police officers to train with their tactical skills."
The complex also includes a four-story training tower where firefighters practice things like mid-rise type fires, rescuing people and throwing ladders. But the building is missing one key amenity.
You can't light it on fire, snuffing out an important portion of the training process — extinguishing real flames.
"There's nothing like the experience of lighting something on fire and practicing your skills," said Chief Garing.
This summer, the Cranberry Township Volunteer Fire Company will open a $450,000 training building through state funding. The new complex will be three stories with forceable entry doors and most importantly, it's 100 percent burnable.
This means crews will be better trained when responding to fires and have a realistic experience during the training process. The new burn building will open in June 2021.
"The realism is exactly how you're going to fight a fire in a single-family dwelling here in Cranberry Township," Garing told KDKA.
Other departments will be allowed to use the facility to train. Chief Garing said he hopes this will be a place where firefighters from the surrounding areas can come improve their skills.
The Cranberry Township Volunteer Fire Company is also looking for volunteers. If you are interested in applying, click here.
