Orange Beach Fire Rescue continues to improve its capabilities, and training enhancements are at the forefront of the progress.

A new 10,000-square-foot training facility is expected to open in late June and will house the Training Division and Surf Rescue Division. Roy Lewis Construction was awarded the low-bid contract of $1.9 million in September. Also this week a flashover simulator was delivered, and in the near future a new live fire training building will be constructed. All of these improvements are taking place on the Fire Station No. 1 campus, behind City Hall. 

“The addition of the flashover simulator, along with the continued development of our training facility and live fire training building, represents a major investment in firefighter safety, preparedness, and professional development,” Fire Chief Jeff Smith said. “These tools allow our personnel to train for realistic, high-risk incidents in a controlled environment so they are better prepared to protect our community when real emergencies occur.” 

Chief Smith said the department is grateful for the continued support of Mayor Tony Kennon and the City Council for “these initiatives and for recognizing the importance of providing firefighters with the training and resources needed to operate safely and effectively.” 

“Their commitment to public safety is helping build one of the premier firefighter training programs along the Gulf Coast,” he said. 

The new training facility will have:

• A 2,000-square-foot training/meeting room that can be divided.
• Office space for training and Surf Rescue staff. 
• Gym, showers, locker room, and kitchen/conference area.
• An apparatus bay area for surf rescue vehicles.

The flashover simulator allows a simulation of a flashover in a safe environment, enabling firefighters to witness the conditions leading up to a flashover event.

"The way that it works is it's a controlled environment, there is a platform in there where the fire is created," Division Chief of Training Austin Lesinger said in an interview with WEAR-TV this week. "Students are able to sit beneath the layer of smoke and fire that is over their heads and basically we use flow paths and different ventilation points to create the environment inside of the box."

Firefighters must be prepared for “low frequency, high risk” incidents — the types of emergencies they may not encounter every day, but that can have devastating consequences if firefighters are not properly trained. The flashover simulator will enhance the department’s ability to train on fire behavior, situational awareness, decision-making, and survival skills under extreme conditions — ultimately making Orange Beach firefighters safer and improving the service the city provides to citizens and visitors.

The planned live fire training facility will be designed to mimic occupancies within Orange Beach Fire Rescue’s response area, such as condominiums with exterior corridors and multistory residential buildings. It will also include built-in props for ventilation, rope rescue, and forcible entry.