News from New York State Department of State

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New York State Dedicates New State-of-the-Art Fire Training Complex

MONTOUR FALLS, NY (10/23/2007; 1057)(readMedia)-- Secretary of State Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez and State Fire Administrator Floyd Madison today dedicated two new buildings as part of a $2.2 million project by the New York State Department of State to establish a state-of-the-art firefighting and fire/arson investigation-training complex at the New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control’s Academy of Fire Science in Montour Falls, NY.

“This new facility, which will significantly improve the quality of training for firefighters and arson investigators in New York State, underscores Governor Spitzer’s commitment to emergency services and homeland security, “Secretary of State Lorraine Cortes-Vazquez said. “Our emergency services providers are the best and they deserve the best possible training, equipment and facilities.”

“This new complex is a great addition to the Office of Fire Prevention and Control,” State Fire Administrator Floyd Madison said. “Good training and modern technology are absolutely essential in the today’s world of firefighting. Firefighters will benefit from this complex. Public safety will be enhanced. And law enforcement will improve its capacity to detect arson and prosecute those who commit it.”

The complex includes a three-and-one-half story Fire Training Burn Tower and a one-and-a-half story Fire/Arson Investigation Training Building. This Fire Training building will be used to train firefighters in search-and-rescue and proper extinguishing techniques. The tower also contains a four-story stair tower, a roof with anchors for teaching rope rescue operations, and two floors with multiple rooms that will be used for live fire evolutions.

The Fire/Arson Investigation Training Building contains five burn rooms, two side-by- side pods for comparative burns showing the effects of flashover, and a test laboratory with monitoring and photographic equipment to document different fire situations. The five burn rooms can be specially outfitted to replicate different settings-- complete with flooring, framed walls and ceiling, electrical wiring, furniture, appliances and other furnishings--and include a two story section to demonstrate how fire progresses between levels of a structure.

Investigators will be able to learn and practice the steps to perform a complete systematic fire investigation. This building will also provide a controlled environment where fire investigation theories can be analyzed, fire cause determination scenarios reconstructed and tested, and the burn characteristics of materials evaluated.

The Department of State’s Office of Fire Prevention and Control provides firefighter and fire/arson investigation training to firefighters, fire investigators, law enforcement officers, local government officials and insurance industry personnel. The new training complex will help these personnel learn more about fires, how to fight them and how to investigate and determine their origin and cause.

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