The Carbon County Emergency Operations Training Center officially kicked off in 2015 and was the brainchild of Commissioner Wayne Nothstein in 2008, but before this center was a reality, emergency responders had a previous training site in Lehighton.

For decades, volunteer firefighters trained at a burn tower in Baer Memorial Park in Lehighton.

In 2014, the building was razed after being deemed unsafe.

Realizing the need for a new training center, a committee was formed to create a facility that all emergency responders could utilize.

The board of commissioners, comprised of Nothstein and then commissioners Thomas J. Gerhard and William O’Gurek, set out to help the committee make their vision a reality. They donated county-owned property next to the Emergency Management Agency on the Broad Mountain in Nesquehoning and began to figure out how to secure enough funds for the project.

After many years of planning, ground was broken for the buildings on Sept. 30, 2021.

Now, with the buildings near their October completion date, the county, in partnership with the Carbon County Community Foundation, has created a fund to help keep the center running for decades to come.

Donations can be made at https://cccfoundpa.org/emergency_training_center; or mailed to the Carbon County Community Foundation, P.O. Box 243, Lehighton, PA 18235. Checks should include a note that this donation is to the Carbon EOTC Fund.