Sidney Fire & Public Safety Training Center
A recently completed community risk assessment revealed that the town of Sidney Ohio needed a third fire station. The area of focus was the northern portion of the township, an area that had seen increased growth, yielding a further increase in response times from a decentralized fire service. With the overall goal to decrease ISO ratings and promote faster response times, a 12.5-acre lot was selected in the northern quadrant of the township. Through various focus groups and programing sessions with fire department officials an overall master program of 11,800 SF was determined for the new fire station. The new facility will provide the Department with three double deep apparatus bays, apparatus support spaces, turnout gear storage, and in-house training components built into the apparatus bay mezzanine. Special focus was given to promote effective and optimal decontamination practices for the first responders and their turnout gear which is exposed to the toxic hazards of daily operational calls. The apparatus bay is flanked by a small administrative component, open kitchen, day room, and bunks. All spaces are laid out in such a way that optimizes shift schedules and promotes a quick response to the apparatus bay from any point within the station. With an estimated completion of this project for spring of 2022, the Sidney Fire Department will be able to promptly serve the township for years to come.
Additionally, the town is implementing an initiative to improve the training for their first responders, including classroom-based training and in-the-field hands-on training. As a part of this initiative the town is planning for a comprehensive Public Safety Training Campus (PSTC) to be located on the on the same site as the fire station. The new PSTC will allow for the first responders to train more regularly without having to travel out of their jurisdiction, and will be tailored to meet the specific training scenarios that the first responders encounter on a daily basis. The PSTC will consist of an administration and classroom building, an apparatus storage building, and an outdoor classroom and recovery pavilion. Additionally, specific scenario-based training props and buildings will be constructed to further hone the skills of the first responders. These buildings and props include a Class A Burn Building, a Drill Tower and Smoke House, Drafting Pits, Trench Rescue Prop, Confined Space Prop, Fuel Spill Prop, Hazmat Rescue Prop, an area for Vehicle Extrication training and an EVOC Course. Once completed the PSTC will provide all of the training needs to meet the required certification for all of the towns first responders.
