The Comox Fire Training Centre, located behind the Comox fire station, is gearing up for a solid schedule of courses this fall.
The centre is used by firefighters from all over Vancouver Island on almost every weekend of the year.
The Comox Fire Training Centre has recently signed a formal “service provider” agreement with the Justice Institute of BC, which will enable them to further expand the courses they offer in Comox to the benefit of all local fire departments.
This partnership allows firefighters on Vancouver Island to receive great accredited training without having to travel to the mainland, saving both time and money.
Since it formally started in 2002, Comox Fire Training Centre has seen more than 1,800 firefighters attend its various training courses. The centre has been developed over many years and is now ranked as one of the best in the province.
A recent improvement includes a new three-storey training tower designed to simulate an apartment building. The centre boasts two classrooms, two training towers and a “live fire” training building, as well as numerous natural gas-fueled training props. The centre is planning on adding a two-storey cold smoke search building later this year.
“We have spent thousands of dollars and a considerable amount of time and effort developing our training site and the training courses to go along with it," stated Comox Fire Chief Gord Schreiner. "We believe we have one of the best training centres in the province. Our centre is well used, but we still have a lot of additional untapped capacity. We are seeing more and more local departments use this training centre on a regular basis. Each year, we continue to improve the training centre by adding more and more props. This not only saves us all time and money but helps us train our firefighters to a higher level, which improves fireground safety and our service delivery.”
— Comox Fire Training Centre