The 30-year-old fire training tower in Livingston County, New York, could no longer meet the evolving training requirements of the county’s first responders. So, county officials put some of the American Rescue Plan Act funds it received during the pandemic to work.
For planning and building the training tower, the Livingston County Office of Emergency Management received a 2024 Crown Communities Award.
Completed in 2024 for $650,000, the four-story tower has burn rooms on three floors so firefighters can train in several different fire scenarios, including basement and second-story fires, and practice rope rescue techniques and confined-space rescues. The tower’s difficulty level can be adjusted for more advanced training. Lighting around the structure facilitates after-dark training.
“The new facility is designed to provide diverse and challenging training scenarios, allowing firefighters to develop comprehensive skills necessary for real-world emergencies,” stated Travis Clark, grants and public information coordinator for Livingston County, a community of about 61,000 people in New York’s Finger Lakes region. The tower “addresses a critical need for enhanced emergency response training for the county’s first responders.”
Local fire and law enforcement departments and emergency response teams from Livingston and at least three other counties are able to access the tower for training and certification. The tower, located in the town of Mount Morris, has also been used by the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office for its SWAT Academy.
The tower “has really transformed how we train our community’s first responders,” Livingston County Office of Emergency Management Director Will Gall said in a statement. “With the wide variety of scenarios it’s capable of reproducing, our response teams are more prepared than ever before to expertly respond to the many different situations they encounter every day.”
Gall said about 40 first responders completed New York Office of Fire Prevention and Control certification courses at the tower during its first seven months in service.
Phase 2 of the project will include the addition of a donated grain silo for agricultural training scenarios and concrete pads for vehicle training. “These enhancements will ensure that Livingston County’s first responders are equipped to handle a diverse range of emergency situations effectively,” Clark stated.
“The new fire training tower represents a significant investment in emergency response capabilities for Livingston County,” Clark added. “By providing advanced, diverse, and customizable training opportunities, this facility will play a crucial role in ensuring that first responders are prepared to face various emergencies with confidence and expertise, ultimately enhancing community safety and resilience.”
