Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Training And Readiness topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Firefighters urge keeping training tower to reduce overtime and improve safety
Summary
Fire leadership and committee members argued that a training/tower and on-site stair/hose training would reduce overtime and improve safety; members cautioned off-site training imposes overtime and coordination burdens.
Fire leadership described how a dedicated training tower and stair/hose facilities enable routine on-duty training and reduce the need for large off-site training sessions that incur overtime. "Being able to do this training in other sites...we get everybody together at once and we go to a building, and we train for 4 hours...a bunch of guys are on overtime for the whole day," a fire representative said, arguing the on-site tower would provide more frequent, lower-overtime training opportunities.
Committee members also noted the tower’s other operational benefits — a hose-drying function, stair evolution practice and the ability to run drills that would otherwise require travel and higher overtime costs. Several members said that while the tower increases upfront cost, the operational safety and training frequency arguments weigh strongly toward retaining the tower if the budget allows.
