If Milton City Council approves a new training facility for Milton Fire Department, it could be a boon to firefighters and commercial property owners alike and not just for safety’s sake. According to city officials, property insurance costs would drop.
Milton Fire Department Chief John Reble said the building would be a two-story structure with a flat level on top with railing for an open third. and interior and exterior stairs to the top. Partitions inside would permit changing the floor plan to suit various training needs. Reble said they wouldn’t be able to do live burns in the building but “we can smoke it up,” he said, with smoke machines.
According to Reble, the city used to have a training facility, a smaller one, where the city warehouse is now, for many years. Hurricane Ivan destroyed the city’s warehouse and garage and so the city needed the land.
The current firehouse does have multi-floor windows for training purposes, Reble said, though training at a working fire station is difficult. The new training facility, he said, will have minimal impact on the community and situated in such a way it won’t be prominently visible.
Chief Reble also noted the new building is “intended to be joint-use, multi-use” facility also utilized by law enforcement and other rescue operations.
With one being the best and ten the worst, Reble said the city’s fire rating is a four.
“A four, I'm told is the best rating you can have that still affects residential rates. Anything beyond that doesn't change residential, just commercial rates.” Reble said the formula for insurance rates is closely guarded and so moving to a three, where the city has come close he said, could very well push rates down further.
City Manager Brian Watkins said, “Right now, it’s still in a concept phase,” and with the committee of the whole’s approval, the council is behind it.
He did say there is a site picked out, off Magnolia Street. The next step right now is for the committee to approve the $30,000 cost for the engineer to design the building with a final cost, Watkins estimated around $300,000 to $350,000.
Reble said paying for the facility will come from a recently approved assessment. Since it’s not a tax, he said every property will contribute, whereas some may be tax exempt.
The burden is spread further and evenly, he said. With a steady stream of capital, Reble said he’s looking forward to getting equipment and vehicles replaced on a regular schedule, cycling engines out every 30 years, a rescue vehicle every 10.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: MFD training facility could drop property insurance rates