Anniston, AL – Anniston Fire Department Chief, Jeff Waldrep, was proud to show the current state of construction at the Anniston Regional Training Center located at 5302 McClellan Blvd in Anniston.
The training center, which is under the direction of Assistant Fire Chief, Johnnie Phelps, is a part of the Alabama Fire College’s regional training center network and is located in region 4, but provides training to fire fighters from all across the United States and some international students. Chief Waldrep mentioned that they once had a student from Korea that attended classes and brought his own translator due to the language barrier. Currently the training center offers 36-40 fire classes each year in the existing two classrooms that can hold up to 25 students. The subject matter of these classes range from firefighter recruit academies, firefighter and fire officer development, EMT Basic, EMT Advanced, and the high school fire science program. The facility currently has 5,848 square feet of classroom space with 15,173 square feet of enclosed training area in the rear of the building.
The new expansion to the training facility will add an additional 9,278 square feet of classroom space and training areas. This will include two training rooms one for the High School Fire Science Program, and one for a new EMT Basic program. The newly created EMT Basic program is a partnership between the Anniston Fire Department and Gadsden State Community College. The high school senior students who attend the course will receive dual enrollment college credit, and upon successful completion of the course, and the National Registry exam, will be EMT Basics. Chief Waldrep stated, “It’s great to see the high school students working towards a career in firefighting when they graduate.” Chief Waldrep also said, “There is currently a shortage of EMS and Medics, so we hope to encourage students to take the EMS courses for a future in their chosen field.” In addition to that there will be a large classroom that can host up to 60 students, where specialty classes will be offered to code enforcement officers and building inspectors. There’s really nowhere on our side of the State that offers classes for those disciplines, which require continuing education. There’s also a banquet room that can host a large variety of events such as rookie school graduations, multi-day conferences, City events, and of course Department functions, such as badge pinning ceremonies.
Chief Waldrep also explained that the rear training area is used for the Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT) which prospective fire fighter candidates must pass before attending a firefighter recruit academy. The Anniston training facility also has a four-story fire tower that is utilized for training. The tower has both an interior stairwell and an exterior staircase. The training tower is used to run numerous training scenarios to help get candidates and firefighters prepared for future emergencies that they may encounter on the job. Chief Waldrep also said that the tower “has the ability to produce a heavy safe smoke and heat up to 400 degrees to simulate the conditions of an active fire.”
The Fire College is also responsible for training future potential leaders in the fire service across Alabama. For each promotion that a firefighter seeks there is a required amount of training that must be achieved. For instance, a Sergeant/driver must pass apparatus operator courses to be able to safely drive and operate a fire truck. Other courses train the potential fire officer to fully know and understand the requirements needed to become a good leader for the teams they are assigned to.
Chief Waldrep was recently updated by the construction crews that the project should be completed by October 31st of this year and that classes are already being prepared for when the new area is fully functional. An official ribbon cutting and opening date will be announced when it is closer to completion.
