Minutes 10-01-2015 - Laserfiche WebLink

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• Update of equipment -from grants • Advanced training level for swift water • Biggest- Strategic Plan Goals: • Continue to recruit volunteers • Outreach with community partners- Emergency Services and Sheriff's Dept. • Training Facility • EMT training/certification • Pursue grants • Joint purchasing of equipment • Keeping up with standards Chair McKee said Commissioner Dorosin and Commissioner Rich were not able to attend tonight. 2. Public Safety Training Facility for Fire/Emergency Medical Services/Law Enforcement Chief Allison said there are 391 volunteers in Orange County, and a facility is needed to train these volunteers properly. He said Chapel Hill is building a new facility. He said at this meeting last year, the request was made for the BOCC to offer assistance, if the land for a facility could be secured. He said the Efland Fire Department offered to donate some land. He said Chapel Hill is looking to build a huge training facility to accommodate fire, EMS and law enforcement. He said the idea has been proposed for the Town and the County to collaborate and create a large, jointly shared facility in a centralized location such as Blackwood Farm. He said such a facility would benefit all the departments. Chapel Hill Chief Sullivan said the discussions are in the very early stages, since the present facility is very old. He said if a joint facility could be built it would be a win-win situation for all. Chief Cabe said in order to get ISO certification the facility must be centrally located to the majority of the stations, and that is why a joint facility is being considered. Jim Groves said this proposal is for the day-to-day operational needs as opposed to the Triangle J Council of Governments (TJCOG) regional proposal. He said maybe going forward TJCOG could be invited to participate in a joint facility in Orange County. Commissioner Burroughs asked if there is an estimate of the needed acreage. Chief Allison said that would depend on the design, but the biggest obstacle has been the acquisition of land. Chief Cabe said the acreage would depend on the uses. He said anywhere from two to five acres would be needed to build a combination burn building/drill tower and to be able to get fire trucks to it. He said EMS has different needs, such as driver training. He said if classrooms are desired on site, then space would be needed for a classroom building. He said the facility could be large and complex, or small and simple. He said law enforcement would have yet other needs. He said most burn buildings use gas, thus having much less run off, and as such do not have to be as far removed as in the past. Chief Sullivan from Chapel Hill said there are public safety training center architects that do this type of work daily across the country. He said clarifying the needs would be a good starting point. Chief Cabe said South Orange Rescue Squad (SORS) provides specialized rescue. He said this squad would need to have some defined space for training props, high elevations, etc.