Volunteer fire department reports new station progress; requests access to vacant hospital for interior training

Volunteer fire department representatives updated the board that construction work on the new station has started: site stripping has occurred and gravel hauling is in progress but delayed by recent rains. The department expects the plumber to begin sewer and water taps the next week and anticipates the pad pour once base materials dry.

The fire department asked commissioners’ permission to begin interior training at the vacant hospital building beginning June 29. The department said training would be interior‑only: dark‑room search, mask‑down drills, search and rescue and forcible‑entry practice restricted to interior doors and non‑destructive exercises. They emphasized there would be no exterior live fire or water use and said liability would be the fire district’s responsibility.

Commissioners asked the department to avoid breaking or removing items that are spoken for by other stakeholders and asked for notice to county staff (key control). The department asked for a written confirmation for records; commissioners directed staff to prepare and email a short authorization so training can proceed, and asked that insurance and safety expectations be documented. The department also noted regional training needs including pipeline/CO2 incident preparedness; commissioners indicated plans to coordinate multiagency training.