COQUITLAM, B.C., April 27, 2023 – Coquitlam firefighters are gaining valuable skills inside the City’s new Fire Training Centre.
Located at Town Centre Firehall (1300 Pinetree Way), on the site of the 30-year-old facility it replaced, the modern training centre represents a new era for Coquitlam Fire/Rescue. Providing expanded skills training and evaluation capacity – including live fire training – the facility also offers the City new revenue opportunities from rentals, as well as infrastructure to support the next generation of fire trucks.
More Efficient and Safe Training
Training under realistic conditions within a controlled environment, with varied scenarios and repetition, improves firefighter safety and performance.
In combination with existing training amenities, the new centre enables Coquitlam Fire/Rescue to prepare its firefighters in-house for the wide variety of scenarios they encounter while serving a large, growing community with many different building types and heights including:
- live fires
- stair climbing
- breaches through walls and roofs
- high-angle rescues
- confined space/trench rescues and auto extrication
The new centre is also equipped for modern firefighting techniques, such as the water-foam fire suppression systems installed on all Coquitlam fire engines.
Highlights of Training Centre Features
The facility officially opened in the fall of 2022, and has already been integrated into the City’s Fire/Rescue training and evaluation regime. Constructed of stacked shipping containers, the four-storey structure includes:
- Two burn rooms that use propane gas for a realistic fire effect;
- Features found in residential and commercial buildings, including elevator door props, an alarm system, a working sprinkler system and standpipe;
- A theatrical smoke system ducted to all rooms;
- A sloping roof system with a prop for roof breach drills;
- Anchors for rappelling and high-angle operations training;
- Wall breach props to simulate advanced survival training for firefighters;
- Computerized controls for the burn rooms, smoke, fire alarm and mock elevator systems;
- Moveable walls to allow for changes to room and hall configurations;
- Full exterior lighting for night training; and
- An exterior staircase similar to those used in firefighter competitions.
Planning the Fire Training Centre
Active planning for the new centre began in 2019 with a feasibility study to assess the site layout and determine the best solution for replacing the outdated training facility. While the old facility was appropriate for the era and training required when it was constructed in the 1980s, after 30 years of use, it not only needed significant and costly repairs but could not meet the requirements of modern firefighter training.
In 2021, the City decided to replace the old training structure with an adaptable, efficient and modern facility that would improve firefighter safety, support the firefighting methods of today, and ensure Coquitlam Fire/Rescue is prepared to serve the community for years to come.
To plan for the future, the project also included new electric vehicle charging infrastructure for the next generation of fire vehicles – battery-operated fire trucks, which are already being tested around the world. Funding for the $2.2-million project came from the City’s Casino Municipal Reserve and Carbon Offsets Reserve.
Rentals Provide Revenue Source
While the project was designed to meet the City’s Fire/Rescue needs, the creation of a full-service fire training facility in Coquitlam has provided a new revenue-generation opportunity from rentals when the building, equipment and grounds are not in use.
The enhanced facility has already started to attract interest from other fire departments and training organizations. Qualified applicants may request half-day or full-day sessions, with rental options including use of the new training centre, the training grounds, classroom space, equipment such as extinguishers and SCBA (self-contained breathing apparatus), and add-ons such as live fires with smoke, confined space/trench rescue, high-angle rescue and auto extrication. A description of the training centre’s features, fee schedule and application form are available at coquitlam.ca/TrainingFacilities.
Direct rental inquiries to the CFR Training Division at 604-927-6400 or firerescue@coquitlam.ca.
Media contact:
Jim Ogloff
Fire Chief
City of Coquitlam
604-927-6400
firerescue@coquitlam.ca
We acknowledge with gratitude and respect that the name Coquitlam was derived from the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ word kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (kwee-kwuh-tlum) meaning “Red Fish Up the River”. The City is honoured to be located on the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem) traditional and ancestral lands, including those parts that were historically shared with the sq̓əc̓iy̓aɁɬ təməxʷ (Katzie), and other Coast Salish Peoples.