Riverside City Fire Department's Training Facility and Emergency Operations Center

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Riverside, California

On April 12, 2008, the City of Riverside Fire Deparment dedicated its new $8 million Emergency Operations Center and Training Facility. This state-of-the art complex was funded in 2003 by an overwhelming public vote for Measure G, which authorized a $20 million bond for the construction of the Emergency Operations Center and Training Facility and 4 new fire stations. Five years later, the EOC and Training Facility and 3 of the 4 fire stations are complete, giving the citizens of Riverside, which is a vast Southern California metropolis, advanced fire protection.

According to Captain Bill De la Hoya of the Riverside Fire Department Training Division, the training center has four facades and numerous props, giving firefighters the ability to simulate multiple types of emergency incidents. For structure fires, the facility has a loading dock, a store front, and a residential mock-up. The fires are propane-fueled and are clean burning. The complex also features an Urban Search and Rescue collapse prop. In this area, Riverside Fire Department's US&R Team can simulate confined space rescues. Firefighters are able to practice locating trapped victims with search dogs and special equipment. Among other things, they are able to practice cutting 6" pieces of concrete during simulated extrications. In addition, the training complex has a train tanker car prop and an automobile fire prop, which are also propane-fueled.

The Emergency Operations Center section of the building can be activated as a command center during any major emergency. It is connected to the classroom portion of the training center, which is also state-of-the art, housing several computers, workstations, and a big-screen TV for training presentations. Once activated for an emergency, a sliding wall partition is moved, connecting the training classroom to the Emergency Operations Center.

This facility replaces the Riverside Fire Department's former burn building, which was built in the 1960's. It has been out of service for the past 4 years due to safety concerns. Training fires at that location were lit using straw, paper and other organic materials, which were not clean burning and were not as easy to control as the propane-fueled fires in the new training center. Also, because of the nature of the burn materials, multiple training sessions could not be held consecutively, due to the fact that the materials were wet and could not be relit. In addition, the classroom in the former training center only accommodated 16 students, whereas, the new classroom can host 36 firefighters.

To watch a video news story about the Riverside Fire Department's Training Center in use at their 2008 Fire Service Expo, click here.