Plum firefighters schedule trainings at former borough building ahead of its demolition

Firefighters from Plum’s four volunteer departments will be using the former borough building for training exercises beginning this week and running into early June, Holiday Park fire Chief James Sims said.

The first sessions at the vacant building on New Texas Road will be held from 6:30 to 10 p.m. Tuesday and 8 a.m. to noon May 4.

Firefighters will be training inside the building only, Sims said.

Traffic on New Texas Road will not be affected.

No fires will be lit and water will not be used, Sims said. No outside windows or doors will be broken, so the building will remain secure.

Smoke machines will be used, so some artificial smoke might be seen coming out of the building, Sims said.

The four departments — Holiday Park, Logans Ferry, Renton and Unity — have about 100 members in total. Sims expects about 50 to attend each day.

“It just goes to show the dedication of the volunteers of each department,” he said. “These men and women are taking time out of the day and out of their schedule to train and better themselves. It reflects their dedication to the borough and the residents of the borough.”

On Tuesday night, firefighters will practice forceful entry, wall breaching, large room searches and long hallway searches.

On Saturday, training will include “mayday drills,” in which a 165-pound dummy dressed in firefighting gear will be hidden in the building. It’s alarm will be set off, and firefighters will have to go in and follow the sound to find it and get it out of the building.

Other Saturday sessions include advancing hose lines and wall breaching.

One or two of the departments will use the building again in May to train on using new air packs bought with grant money. Dates have not been set, Sims said.

A session to train on searching for lost Alzheimer’s patients is expected to be held in the beginning of June, Sims said. Open to firefighters and paramedics, it would involve looking for a person who is moving and hiding inside the building.

“There’s a lot of places to hide,” Sims said.

While Plum’s volunteer firefighters train regularly, Sims said it’s rare for them to have access to a building in the borough that they can use.

“This is a great opportunity for us,” he said. “It’s a chance for all four fire departments to train together. We won’t have to leave the borough. If there’s an incident while we are there, we can leave and handle that.”

Firefighters also know the building is safe, as a small amount of asbestos found inside already has been removed to prepare for its demolition.

The borough hopes to have demolition start before the end of summer, Borough Manager David Soboslay said.

The borough plans to retain ownership of the property and is looking for a developer.

Plum’s new municipal center is on Mike Thomas Way, formerly Old Mine Road.