Schuylkill County’s Fire School is a little closer to becoming a reality.
With money now in hand, on Wednesday, Schuylkill County Commissioners voted to solicit bids for four separate contracts related to the construction of the long-talked-about Schuylkill County Emergency Services Training Facility.
The 14,000-square foot facility to be located off Firemen’s Road, outside Frackville, is to serve as a training facility for local firefighters and other first responders in Schuylkill County.
The Fire School – a name applied to it over the last several years – is expected to cost about $5 million. Discussion of the project began about six years ago but funding has always been an issue.
Commissioner Gary Hess said the initial round of funding came from American Rescue Plan Act monies distributed to Schuylkill County. The Commissioners were set to give that money – about $1 million – to individual fire companies but Hess said the board was approached about putting the money toward the Fire School instead.
Another $2 million in federal funding was secured by US Rep. Dan Meuser, according to Commissioners Chairman Larry Padora. That money was funneled through the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) and into Schuylkill County specifically for the training center project.
About $1.5 million was secured by State Sen. Dave Argall in a RCAP state grant, awarded by Gov. Josh Shapiro, and $500,000 comes from a Local Share Account (LSA) grant secured by Schuylkill County’s contingent of representatives in Harrisburg.
Commissioner Boots Hetherington thanked Shapiro and his staff for securing funding for the highly-competitive RCAP grant.
Schuylkill County is seeking four contractors for the project: a general contractor and one for plumbing, HVAC, and electrical. Bids are due by Oct. 21 with a tentative award date of Oct. 28.
According to plans for the Fire School, the main building will be just more than 10,000 square feet and include nine offices, a large Emergency Management operations center, and three 900 square-foot training rooms that can be combined to make one very large room. There will be an attached 3,200 square-foot garage with four large bays capable of fitting emergency apparatus.
Schuylkill County Commissioner Gary Hess hopes that building this school will encourage younger members of the community to join emergency services, especially in areas of the county where participation is dwindling.
“This is a great project. I know it’s been a long time coming,” Hess says.
Hess adds that the County’s investment in the Fire School backs the billions of dollars that local fire companies in Schuylkill County have made in equipment to respond to emergencies.
Padora says that, as it currently stands, firefighters across Schuylkill County need to train over multiple sessions. The new fire school will be large enough to get everyone trained in one sitting.
Further, he says, industries that require specific responses to emergencies at their facilities will be able to train local first responders there.
“This is a great addition to our county. It’s a great addition for our first responders,” Padora says.
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