At a dedication ceremony yesterday, the Oceanside Fire Department unveiled its newly constructed state-of-the-art Fire Training Tower at 110 Jones Road. Thanks to Measure X funding, the new facility will prepare Oceanside public safety personnel for generations to come.
This four-story facility is a live, controlled-fire training structure, which provides conditions similar to actual fire calls: searing heat in live fire burn rooms on various floors, a myriad of smoke-filled halls and rooms, interior and exterior stairways, bailout windows, and multiple floors where people may be in need of rescue.
Crews will practice forced entry, working in dark and confined spaces, using breathing apparatus in thick smoke, and fighting live fires. Personnel will also practice using a building’s pressurized water standpipe system to pump water to needed areas. The structure’s rooftop includes rope rescue anchors and an area to train on breaching a roof. All features are designed to ensure Oceanside Fire Department (OFD) personnel safely prepare for dangerous situations, in order to save lives and property.
The new Fire Training Tower replaces an aged one-story facility on the training grounds and consolidates multiple onsite and offsite training facilities into one location.
