City Commissioners approved a $65,000 contract to Montana Materials and Construction doing business as Helena Sand and Gravel Inc. during their July 15 meeting for the demolition of the existing Great Falls Fire Rescue training tower at the training center and disposal of the materials.
Fire Chief Jeremy Jones said that the city planning office had issued the demolition permit for the project and that demo is planned for this week at the GFFR training center at 1900 9th St. S.
In April, City Commissioners voted 4-1 to apply for a $2.5 million Montana Board of Investments intercap loan to finance Great Falls Fire Rescue’s training center renovations.
City staff applied for the state loan for up to $2.5 million and use the 3.5 mills that were redirected from the Great Falls Public Library to the city’s general fund through a renegotiation of the library’s management agreement.
The loan was approved in June.
GFFR conducting training with soon to be demolished structures; working to get new training center
In April, GFFR Chief Jeremy Jones told The Electric that the project can be broken into three parts, one for the existing tower demolition, the second for the groundwork and third construction of the new training tower/prop.
Jones said GFFR was working with city public works, which will do the asphalt work in house.
They’re also discussing using the north end of the property toward the scouting office as a stormwater management facility since the area has drainage issues.
Jones told The Electric on July 21 that they’re trying to collaborate with with public works as much as possible to address as many issues at once.
Once the tower is demolished, crews can do the asphalt work.
City continuing discussion of funding for GFFR training center, which is currently unusable
They’re hoping to get those components done this year and then build the new training center tower next year.
Jones said that he’s assembled an internal committee to review options from a few vendors to determine their design options within their budget, then GFFR will go through the formal bid process.
That timeline won’t help GFFR with its next ISO audit and the rating could drop since they’ll get dinged for the lack of training center, Jones said.
GFFR chief: Lack of fire training facility risks readiness, safety, increased insurance rates
A drop in ISO rating could affect residential and commercial insurance rates.
In February, City Manager Greg Doyon said he had authorized GFFR to purchase a mobile training prop as a stopgap.
The mobile training prop is $59,850 and the GFFR Foundation purchased the trailer to move it between fire stations and other training locations for about $12,000.
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“This training prop is not a substitute for the full rebuild of our training facility but serves as a critical stopgap measure to sustain training efforts until the new training center is completed. The prop will provide hands-on training opportunities, ensuring that our firefighters are prepared to respond effectively to emergencies,” according to GFFR’s budget worksheet for the purchase. “This strategic investment ensures that GFFR personnel remain highly trained and ready to serve while we work toward the long-term goal of rebuilding our dedicated training facility.”
The prop fits within a standard parking space, so it can be transported to each fire station for training in different districts and can be used within the engine bays during inclement weather, according to GFFR.
The prop is being purchased with funds collected through enforcement of their ambulance transport performance contract, which are unrestricted and GFFR typically uses those funds toward large items.
The prop is being built and GFFR is scheduled to receive it July 31, Jones told The Electric.
For a few months, they were using a prop on loan so rookies could get through the standard basic firefighter training. They had to return that prop in April.
