LAYTON — Work on a new fire training facility, which would be the only one of its kind in Davis County, is already under way and could be completed as early as February or March.
City work crews have already begun some of the site work for the training facility on Fort Lane, across from the city’s public works building, including removal of trees and grading the property. In the meantime, the city council voted Thursday night to award bids for the project in two separate motions.
One bid was awarded to Patriot Construction LLC to install infrastructure at the site, including curb and gutter, water line, storm drain pipe, landscaping and lighting and approximately 30,000 square feet of 6-inch concrete for a driveway. That bid came in at $447,200 and Chief Kevin Ward said fire officials hope to reduce that amount.
The second resolution awarded construction of the fire training tower to WHP Training Towers for approximately $416,000, even though some contract details are still being worked out.
City officials have budgeted $1.1 million for the facility in the current fiscal year budget. In potentially cutting the costs of some of the infrastructure work, Ward and other fire officials hope to find funding to add an apparatus building in which key fire equipment could be stored. Currently some of the department’s equipment is stored in Clearfield at the Freeport Center.
Ward said officials are looking at a block building which he described as a big garage, where there could be room to store equipment as well as other amenities.
Construction of an apparatus building has a price range from $220,000 to $315,000, according to fire officials.
The training tower will be about three stories high and will come with a number of training options. Designed after a similar structure in Park City, the facility is expected to include burn rooms with special liners that can handle temperatures up to 1,200 degrees.
The facility also is expected to have several special staircases, allowing training for basement fires and a balcony on the third floor to help firefighters simulate rescues from hotels or apartment structures. Firefighters also will be able to practice rappelling off the building.
City officials had talked about possibly partnering on costs for the facility, but decided it would be best to go ahead on their own and then perhaps make the facility accessible for others. The facility is expected to be accessible for students in special fire training classes at Davis Applied Technical College.
Ward said fire officials from several fire departments already have expressed interest in using the facility for training.
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