The City of Quincy and Gadsden County fire departments now have a brand new training tower and burn building, which will be used to provide firefighters with live fire training.
A ribbon cutting ceremony was held on Wednesday, May 5 to celebrate the completion of the new training facility, and to reveal it to the public.
Construction of the burn tower began in December 2020, and it was completed in February.
“We’ll be able to do more efficient training in a controlled environment,” Quincy Fire Chief Anthony Baker said during the ceremony. “We can’t burn houses like we used to.”
Quincy City Manager Jack McLean said the project was a joint effort between Gadsden County and the City of Quincy, and would not have been possible without the county putting up half of the money for the building’s construction.
Although the cost of the training tower/burn building originally wasn’t expected to exceed $150,000, Maria Carty, the City of Quincy’s finance director, said the final cost was $168,000 due to an increase in the cost of supplies.
Carty said the amount was split over two fiscal budget years.
“This will lead Gadsden County, not just Quincy, into its future,” Quincy Mayor Ronte Harris said.
The training facility will mainly be used to train volunteer fire departments.
“It’s small in size, but big in purpose, McLean added.
The City of Quincy fire department is the only professional fire department in Gadsden County. The rest are manned by volunteer firefighters.
“Most fires are put out by volunteer firefighters – most lives are saved by volunteer firefighters,” McLean concluded.
Erin Hill – mail@gadsdencountynews.com
Photos By Erin Hill
