New fire training campus planned

The Daily Herald has an article talking about a new proposed training facility for the fire service:

Elgin Community College has the go-ahead from Burlington trustees to build a satellite campus within the village limits — an $18 million project that will have an early focus on training first responders.

The Public Safety and Sustainability Center would relocate programs for police and firefighters to the 118-acre site on Plank Road, according to Sharon Konny, vice president of business and finance at ECC. Truck driving, energy management and sustainability programs would be run there as well.

“More than 80 percent of first responders in the U.S. are trained at community colleges,” he said. “This project will ensure that our local first responders learn and train at a first-rate facility.”

But not everyone is happy with plans for the new campus. Burlington residents have been concerned with a proposed outdoor firing range that Konny said is not part of the first phase of the project.

A “village” of shell buildings will be constructed to use for search and rescue training and in simulations for firefighters. The roads through the village can be used for truck driving students who are constrained on the main campus in Elgin, Konny said. The college is also considering geothermal wells and will get at least some of its power from a wind turbine.

The entier article is HERE.

thanks Chris

This entry was posted on December 20, 2012, 7:10 AM and is filed under Fire Service News. You can follow any responses to this entry through RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

#1 by Dan on December 20, 2012 - 8:33 AM

Ok, unless this is being built directly next to downtown Burlington, I can’t see ANYONE being affected by noise pollution from a firing range. There is so much open space out there, the noise might affect one or two homes at most. I frequent the Sycamore Sportsmans club which is very close to a few neighborhoods, and much larger caliber weapons than what would be used by police are shot there daily, but you can’t hear any gunfire once you leave the premises.
Sounds like a promising campus- happy to be on a department that will likely be able to utilize it!