Carbon County firefighters are speaking out in support of the proposed multiuse fire training facility.

On Thursday, several fire chiefs from around the county attended the county commissioners' meeting to have their voices heard.John McArdle, president of both the Carbon County Firemen's Association and the Carbon County Fire Chiefs' Association, said, "I have been following various stories and related events and felt it was necessary that I come here to try and dispel some rumors and set the story straight."He added that he has not received "one negative statement by any fire departments or fire chief.""We have been in total agreement with the facility's location and most importantly, the need for training here in Carbon County," McArdle said before reading a letter that addressed a number of concerns a few municipalities had when deciding whether or not to send a letter of support for the estimated $10 million project in Nesquehoning."The committee is disappointed that individuals who have not participated or concerned themselves with this project prior to the announcement have taken it upon themselves to promote untruths about this project," he added. "In order for this project to become a reality, we need the support for our local municipalities, emergency service agencies and the Carbon County elected officials."McArdle said that the fire training facility committee's goal for the project is to "provide a multiuse facility for the training and education of our emergency service agencies, which include law enforcement, emergency medical services, emergency management coordinators, county employees and fire service personnel."He said that over the past six years, the committee has looked at a number of locations that may be suitable for the facility, including the former Packerton Yards site, previous burn building location in Lehighton and the current proposed location next to the 911 Communications Center in Nesquehoning.Other sitesAt first glance Packerton appears to be a strong contender for the site, McArdle said, but overall, it is not ideal for the needs of everyone that it will serve because there is no highway occupancy permit for private access.The county does not own the property that would be an entrance into the site because negotiations stopped once the previous project ceased.Other issues are that the subdivision plan was never approved, the property is zoned industrial, there is ground contamination from industrial waste, the property access may be blocked by rail traffic at any time, and the lack of site security when not in use.The previous location, Baer Memorial, was leased from the Borough of Lehighton.The field is also used by several youth groups, which make it unsafe for large firetrucks to operate safely during training.Other issues are limited space, low water levels and lack of thermal lined burn areas available.The former building and drill site was maintained solely by the Carbon County Firemen's Association and was never financially supported by any municipality.Commissioners' Chairman Wayne Nothstein, who has been on the facility committee since it began in 2008, said that it was not an easy decision and multiple site visits to other facilities in the state were conducted to decide what is needed in the county.McArdle also said the Emergency Management Agency and Emergency Operations Center, not the 911 Communications Center, would be moving to the new facility, which should be located near the current facility.The needMcArdle continued to outline the need for the facility on all emergency service sides.For example, Nesquehoning Hose Company recently had to travel to Harrisburg for certification training at a cost of $2,500 plus fuel and had seven volunteers and one truck out of service in the borough for 10 hours.If a facility was available in the county, he said costs to volunteer groups such as fire, EMS, police, sheriff deputies, prison guards, adult and juvenile probation officers and drug and gang task forces, would be decreased as would travel time."We have a plea for the municipalities and emergency services to send in their letters of support," McArdle said, noting that one grant application of the five sources identified by Delta Development Group, is nearing and items such as this are needed to help strengthen the application.The fundingDelta Development, who was hired in February to find funding sources, identified a number of possible sources of grants, including the state Redevelopment Assistance Capital Project grant.Commissioner William O'Gurek said that if the county is able to secure funding through that grant, it would then apply for funds through the gaming monies in Monroe County to provide a match, as the county did for the narrowband project."We are working diligently with getting things together," he said.McArdle added that the county is administering the grant and will own the facility because the firemen's association doesn't have the finances and resources that the county has."We said if we are going to have our firemen get what they need to protect our towns, then it's going to be the county that needs to step forward," O'Gurek said.He asked what municipality could afford paying for fire service if it wasn't for the volunteers who give countless time to the departments to protect the communities they live in."The value of the firemen in these municipalities ... far outweighs any expense. I think it is a commendable thing that these volunteers do. This is a commitment toward the fire service and organizations that will benefit from this," O'Gurek said.Commissioner Thomas J. Gerhard said that the commissioners are "110 percent behind this project" and will work to make sure these volunteers who give so much of their time have a location to train that is within the county.In addition, the firemen's association also chipped in $7,500 to date for the project, and Michael Tirpak of Carbon Engineering donated his time to get the project off the ground.The projectThe new facility will replace the former training tower and drill area in Lehighton, which was condemned and demolished last year.In February, the commissioners said that the project will provide fire departments with live fire training sites, a drill tower and other training necessities, as well as give police, county departments and EMS services classroom and training options that normally are completed in other counties.The conceptual design plans call for widening the current road to the Emergency Management Agency/911 Communications Center to allow for additional traffic to the two new sites; constructing an approximate 3.8-acre fire training facility with a training building and drill areas and a two-story multiuse building that would be the new house of the EMA and Emergency Operations Center, as well as classrooms, meeting areas, vehicle and apparatus parking garages; and a storm water management facility that would recycle water that is collected as available water for live fire training.Nothstein said that the estimated timeline for completion is dependent on securing funding, but hopes that the project will begin in 2016 with a completion date of either 2017 or 2018.Rory Koons, safety officer and former fire chief of Lower Towamensing Township Fire Department thanked the board for its efforts."Some of us have been in this service over 40 years," he said, "and never in history have we had a board of commissioners who have been so supportive of the emergency services as this board. Without your help it wouldn't be at the point where it is. We are very, very appreciative of your efforts."