The new facility will be located at Liberty Street North and Concession Road 4 and feature a drill tower and live fire training tower, training compound, large classroom space and a driver training track.
“This is very much needed and will be greatly used by everyone in the community, not just Clarington Fire,” said Clarington Fire Chief David Speed of the new project, which will be made available to community partners and emergency services across Durham for use.
“It is imperative we grow along with the community and the increasing demand for emergency services,” he continued. “This means our members must be equipped with and maintain exemplary life-saving skills, and we need a training facility to make that a reality.”
Durham MPP Todd McCarthy, who represents a large portion of Clarington, and David Piccini, Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, who represents a portion of east Clarington, were on hand at the Bowmanville Fire Hall Tuesday to announce $3, 216, 384 in funding for the new facility through the province’s Skills Development Capital stream.
The new facility will be located at Liberty Street North and Concession Road 4 and feature a drill tower and live fire training tower, training compound, large classroom space and a driver training track.
“This is very much needed and will be greatly used by everyone in the community, not just Clarington Fire,” said Clarington Fire Chief David Speed of the new project, which will be made available to community partners and emergency services across Durham for use.
“It is imperative we grow along with the community and the increasing demand for emergency services,” he continued. “This means our members must be equipped with and maintain exemplary life-saving skills, and we need a training facility to make that a reality.”
Durham MPP Todd McCarthy, who represents a large portion of Clarington, and David Piccini, Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, who represents a portion of east Clarington, were on hand at the Bowmanville Fire Hall Tuesday to announce $3, 216, 384 in funding for the new facility through the province’s Skills Development Capital stream.
“Investments in training our firefighters are investments in the safety and resilience of our communities,” Piccini said.
The new facility will provide training for senior fire officials in incident command and emergency management strategies as well as leadership training for future fire chiefs and deputy chiefs, and fire training certification for volunteer and career firefighters.
“Our government remains committed to supporting Durham’s great first responders with state-of-the-art facilities and resources to keep our community safe for generations to come,” said Clarington MPP Todd McCarthy. “Our first responders play a vital role in our community and deserve the finest resources and training. This investment will ensure Durham remains safe and well-protected for decades to come.”
The facility will allow fire and emergency services to keep pace with rapid growth in the region, ensuring firefighters are equipped with the latest training as fire services across the province grapple with new building materials and technological advances such as electric vehicles, residential solar panels, increasingly dangerous byproducts and other elements.
“Fire service has experienced significant change in recent years, and along with that, the demands of training and education have changed dramatically, modern design and building materials used today require different training,” said Bob McCutcheon of the Ontario Professional Fire Fighters Association. “This is all being added to the professional skill set that firefighters are already required to maintain.”
He called the investment and the planned new facility “more than welcome,” and lauded the province for recognizing the “increasing demand on today’s modern fire services.
“As a firefighter our mission is to protect the lives and property of those around us,” he said. “To do that effectively we need to access the best training.”
Construction of the new facility, which will be a joint Public Works and Fire facility, is expected to begin in 2025.
“This facility will be the first of its kind in the region, and its training opportunities will enhance the safety of communities throughout Durham,” said Clarington Mayor Adrian Foster. “Clarington’s firefighters and other first responders will get better training locally, thanks to this significant grant.”
For more information on Clarington Emergency and Fire Services visit www.clarington.net.