ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Orange County firefighters will soon have a new state-of-the-art training facility that’s meant to ensure firefighters are ready for any kind of local emergency.
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On Tuesday, the county officially broke ground on the $52 million training center in East Orange County.
The 38-acre facility will include a burn building where firefighters can train in live fire environments. It will also include two 5-story drill towers, seven classrooms, and multiple fire props.
One of the crowning jewels of the facility will be an incident command virtual reality room.
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The high-tech command room will allow fire crews to practice decision-making and collaboration with law enforcement.
It will be used to simulate a variety of emergencies like hazmat scenarios, structural collapses, and active shooter situations.
“Through a virtual environment, we can have a scenario where we have numerous victims. And we can have things that are otherwise difficult to replicate,” said John Westmoreland, Division Chief of Logistics for Orange County Fire Rescue.
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Orange County Fire Rescue currently conducts training at three different locations across the county, with most large trainings happening at the regional Central Florida Fire Academy on Oak Ridge Rd.
Nearly every fire department in the region uses the Central Florida Fire Academy for their training including Orlando, Ocoee, and Winter Park.
For Westmoreland, the new center in part means the county will no longer have to compete for training time.
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“This is going to help ensure our state of readiness, and it’s going to meet our needs not only for today but for the future,” said Westmoreland.
The new facility is also designed to help the county as it continues to grow and expand.
Orange County Fire Rescue already responds to upwards of 100,000 calls a year, and that number is only increasing.
“We are going to train our fire personnel as best as we can train them,” said Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings, “To save lives in this community-- that is what this facility will mean.”
Construction is already in the works on the center. It is expected to open by the end of 2024.
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