Progress Update - March 23, 2026

The fire training grounds and live fire training facility project continues to progress, with final finishing touches currently being completed. The department anticipates the building will be ready for full use by May or June. Some minor deficiencies remain with the building’s training props, which are expected to be addressed in the coming weeks.

The manufacturer is still required to provide official confirmation that the live fire components of the facility conform to the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) 1402 Standard on Facilities for Fire Training and Associated props as outlined in the original proposal.

Administration is working diligently to complete an operations and training plan. Before any live fire training takes place, fire instructors will complete a live fire instructor course to ensure the safety of our department members and maintain alignment with industry standards.

Support for the fire training grounds project from external contributors has been overwhelmingly positive.

The budget for the project was approved for $600,000 (net cost to the City). To date, the project has received $58,550 in in-kind donations and $140,833 in monetary contributions which has provided the project with total revenues of $799,383.

Costs to date (including in-kind costs) have been incurred in the amount of $538,210. The City is expecting additional costs of $169,793 to complete the project, effectively bringing the total costs incurred to be $708,003.

Based upon current estimates, the project will have a surplus of $91,380 at the completion of the project.