Welland’s fire chief is recommending a $1.5-million contract be awarded to Symtech Fire to build a training tower behind the East Main Street fire station.
A report from Adam Eckhart said the three-storey, 853-square-metre tower will be used to train and test firefighters in preparation for mandatory certification.
To come before city council Tuesday, the chief’s report said 21 companies picked up documentation about the planned build, but only two submitted proposals — both over the tower’s $1.6-million budget.
The city released a request for quotes to three companies that build training towers and three bids, all within budget, were received.
“After bids were reviewed, the general scope of the three towers were shared with all members of the fire department. Staff engagement was high, and a great deal of input was received,” Eckhart said in his report.
The training tower at the $14-million Station 1 fire hall that opened in March 2023 is to have modern features that promote firefighter safety while providing a realistic training environment.
“Staff prioritized the size and layout of the building, prioritizing features that will permit complex and demanding training evolutions that mirror building design and layouts found frequently within our community.”
Those designs and layouts include homes, apartments, stores and highrises.
New Jersey-based Symtech Fire, in business for more than 40 years, recently expanded into Ontario and has partnered with companies qualified in building the tower to meet Ontario’s building and electrical codes, and firefighter safety standards, the report said.
Live fire training will be fuelled by propane, with state-of-the-art designs that offer a realistic training environment that can be immediately stopped if required.
“There is a distribution system that moves realistic synthetic smoke throughout the building and a communications system that generates area-specific sounds to promote the realism of the training exercise.”
Eckhart’s report said remaining funds in the project’s budget will be used to provide propane fuel, electrical service, inspection of the tower and items supporting its testing and commissioning.
Tuesday’s council meeting starts at 7 p.m. and can be viewed at welland.ca/council/livestream.asp.