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FIRE TRAINING CENTER A WISE INVESTMENT

Published August 19. 2016 04:00PM

Schuylkill County is in need of an updated firefighter training center and burn building.

The existing burn building was placed in service in 1990 for $750,000. It has served its purpose well.

But it was declared unsafe and closed in 2013.

Better facilities are needed at the site, located along Firemen's Road in Morea, for recruiting and training new members.

Last week, Schuylkill County commissioners stepped up to the plate. They've promised to give the county volunteer firefighters association up to $500,000 over 10 years to build a new facility, to include a burn building.

The money might come from an increase in the hotel tax from 3 to 5 percent.

That donation will be only about one-third of the $1.75 million needed for the project.

All of this sounds like a lot of money. And it is. But there are about 120 fire companies in Schuylkill County. Together they protect lives and property of close to 150,000 residents living in 780 square miles. It's big business.

Firefighters have been trying to raise money for the project. They've asked for contributions from municipalities, businesses and people, scraping up about $600,000 to date.

In the meantime, local firefighters are traveling to neighboring counties for burn building training, says David Sattizahn, association president.

"This is probably the biggest undertaking that I can recall in the 30-plus years that I've been involved in the fire service," he said.

He said it's important to have training facilities locally, and the commissioners agree.

"The volunteer fire service in this county is second to none," said Chairman George F. Halcovage Jr.

"We are so blessed to have dedicated men and women who have come forward to serve the general public, taking time away from their families to do it."

Another lauded the sacrifice of our selfless volunteers.

"We have so many dedicated individuals throughout Schuylkill County, so many volunteer firefighters.

They are there to protect their respective communities, and they do an outstanding job," said Commissioner Frank J. Staudenmeier.

Commissioner Gary J. Hess, a former firefighter, called on today's youth to join their local fire company, saying it's "the best way to give back to your communities."

Those statements, of course, are true. And in the scheme of things, firefighters ask very little for the service they provide.

Bids have gone out for the new facility, and the association expects to award contracts in September.

The end result will be a state-of-the-art facility that ensures safety and maintains the professionalism of local firefighting.

The money spent on a new training center will be an investment in our safety, and that's a lifetime benefit that can't be measured in dollars and cents.

By Donald R. Serfass | dserfass@tnonline.com

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