The Jefferson Fire Protection District is moving forward on plans for regional training facility near their fire station on the south side of Mt. Vernon after receiving a federal grant to pay for about 35-percent of the cost.
Assistant Chief and Training Officer Ryan Clinton says the total cost of the facility will be around $700,000 with $253,365 being provided by
Congressman Mike Bost through the continuing resolution to reopen the federal government earlier this month.
Clinton says the training center will be available to all fire departments in Jefferson County and beyond.
“The training facility will be an new state of the art facility. It is going to allow us to be able to have live fire training to simulate real life incidence that we have seen on a daily basis. To be able to train new firefighters and just being able to continue the education of the firefighters we already have. Our goal is to provide well educated, competent, and professionally trained firefighters and this new facility will allow us to do that. Just continuing training generations of new firefighters as they come into the fire service.”
Clinton hopes the new facility will allow for additional training classes to be held through the Illinois Fire Service Institute that firefighters are currently having to travel out of the area to attend.
Bost was also able to obtain $700,000 for the Effingham Fire Department to replace its 25-year-old platform ladder truck with a modern, state of the art vehicle. The new truck will improve firefighting and rescue capabilities, particularly for vulnerable populations in multi-story residential and health care facilities.
