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The History of
The York County Fire Training School
Part One
EMERGENCY SERVICES in YORK COUNTY
“STILL MAKING HISTORY”
Chapter One
“An 18 YEAR ODYSSEY”
As with most old adages, the one that goes “All good things come in time” was proven correct once again. This time it was the 18 year quest to establish a YORK COUNTY FIRE TRAINING SCHOOL that bore the axiom out. It all began on September 19, 1960 during a meeting at the West York Fire Station. Chief “Mac” Eby posed a question to the group, “Who tore down the Civilian Defense Training Tower?” The Training Tower was a wood and block structure adjoining the old York County Jail. It was later learned that the York County Commissioners, acting on some incorrect information, had ordered the county’s only fire training facility to be torn down.
Numerous meetings with the County Commissioners and local Civil Defense officials resulted from the demolition of the Training Tower. There was no ready answer to replace this much needed asset. At an October, 1961 meeting, the York County Fire Chiefs and Firefighters Association President, Russell Ruth, appointed the following “Training Tower Committee”: Robert Little, Glenn O. Kline, Weldon Brunk and Paul L. Schaefer. The committee worked doggedly during the next four years trying to locate a parcel of land and put together a cost-conscious structural plan. Once, when everything appeared ready for approval, York County elected a new group of County Commissioners and the committee had to regroup, replan and resell their ideas to the newly elected County Officials. This was a very frustrating period for the committee, but with each set-back they came back stronger and wiser in their convictions. Many public officials learned that one important quality in every good Fire Chief is perseverance. That perseverance finally paid off on March 2, 1965. At that time a 1.7 acre parcel of land was donated to the association by the York County Industrial Development Corp. This was a major break-through for the committee and a very generous act by the Board of Directors of the Industrial Development group. A Special mention must be made of the efforts made on our behalf by the York County Industrial Development Corporation Officials, Jack Barnhart, John Bell and Harry Busser.
The County Commissioners still did not understand the role a training center had in the preparedness of the Emergency Responders of our area. A campaign of education was needed. The Association, with the able assistance of the York County Manufacturers Association and the York Area Chamber of Commerce, worked on just such a campaign. When the people and politicians of the county learned the value of a training school and how committed the firefighters were to self improvement, the campaign resulted in a tremendous interest in the Fire School project.
Things looked good, but then there was another election and the project stalled once again. The effort, though stalled, did not die. The association, working in a partnership of private and public officials, continued to pursue the goal of a first class Fire Training Center. In 1968, the York County Board of Commissioners showed a keen interest in fire safety and set a Centralized Emergency Control Center as a priority. The Association was delighted at the prospect of this innovation and felt that the school project should be tabled until the Control Center was established and functioning properly.
Chapter Two
“The School Comes to Life”
The Centralized Emergency Control Center was up and functioning by July 1970. Then on August 21, 1972, President Glenn O.Kline appointed the Association Board of Directors as the committee to once again pursue the development of a County Fire School. The members of the Board of Directors were Robert Little, John Eby and Paul L. Schaefer. On October 15, 1973, Committee Chairman Paul L. Schaefer, alerted the association that “If we don’t act soon our property will be sold out from under us.” Circumstances once again seemingly worked against the school. The property was lost. However, “Lady Luck” was in our corner this time. The York County Industrial Development Corporation came to the project’s rescue. They donated another parcel of land to us, this one being a larger, (4.839 acres) and better situated parcel for our purposes. With the increased acreage, a more elaborate plan was developed. The new and improved plan was presented to and approved by County Commissioners. In 1974 the Commissioners began appropriating funds toward the fire school project. County Commissioners, Chairman Carroll Leppo, Robert Bowers and William Mckinley, aware of the importance of the school’s impact on the safety of all county residents and firefighters, saw fit to increase their contribution to help the school come to life. It took many years of hard work to bring this school to life. We must never forget all those who have labored to bring this project into existence. 17 years and 11 months of struggle by the Firefighters, Officers, Fire Companies, service groups, industries and interested persons who have contributed, each in their own way, to this Fire School Project.
On October 18, 1975 work started. As with any project, you need to start with a good base, this mean clearing and cleaning of the site. Volunteers worked on cleaning the site of weeds, brush, and trees. With volunteer labor it took some time to get the site ready for the next step but it did save money; money that would be better spent on developing the site. Further site work began June 15, 1977. The cost to prepare the site for actual construction was $30,556.00
The signing of the contract for construction at the facility was on August 23, 1977. One of the first projects was the construction of a burn building. This is a concrete block and masonry structure that allows students to experience live fire scenarios in controlled setting. The cost was $52,800.00 in 1977. Soon construction work began on a four story drill tower. This concrete block and steel reinforced building is NOT set up to do live fire scenarios. However it is designed to allow students to work in a multiple story structure that simulates multiple story commercial buildings. This structure includes an interior fire escape that students can practice hose line advancement in as well as a place that ladder drills can be practiced on. The tower cost $38,000.00 when it was built. Another part of the training ground was a drafting pit. This is an underground tank like structure that allows firefighter to gain experience in pumping water from a static source, such as a pond or creek. The pit is capable of holding 15,000 gallons of water that can be recycled during practice. The Drafting Pit cost $ 16,400.00 and was funded by the Fireman’s Assoc. of York County. The Victory Fire Company of Spring Garden Township paid $8.600.00 to construct a Flammable Liquids Training Area at the school. This area consists of a masonry pad and containment areas where students can learn how to deal with burning liquids such as gasoline and oil. The area has a 20 foot in diameter round pit where oil spills can be simulated. The Yoe Fire Company also donated a used Tank Trailer to be used on the trailer pad of the Flammable Liquids Training Area. This area allows firefighters to practice on major vehicle incidents involving fires in a safe and controlled environment.
All of these structures would be useless if there was not access to them. The spacious training grounds had to be paved. This allows the firefighters access with there equipment and the ability to enact life like scenarios to hone their skills on. The macadam paving for the training area cost $31,868.00. Another important aid to make the training ground realistic was the addition of 4 inch water main and hydrants. The installation of this water main cost $8,336.00. This did not include the cost of the Fire hydrants installed around the facility. The Hydrants were donated by York Water Company. The school uses a collection pond that helps us control the run off water from our various training ground operations. This enables us to minimize our impact on the environment. Since it is an open pond a fence was constructed around the pond at a cost of $ 1,140.00. An entrance gate to the training area was also put in place at a cost of $700.00. On April 10, 1978, just a few months shy of the 18th anniversary of that first question that was asked by Chief “Mac” Eby the new training area was ready for it site inspection by the committee.
Spring Garden Township Fire Department donated a 1948 Mack 750 Gallons per Minute (GPM) Pumper to the school. This assured that users of the school would always have an apparatus available to support their training. This unit was donated in honor of the man that started the ball rolling for the school, Chief John (Mac) Eby.
On August 19, 1978 a dedication ceremony was held in conjunction with the York County Fireman’s Association. The Convention was hosted by the Alert Fire Company of Manchester Township. The profits from the convention, $2,300.00, was donated to the York County Fire Training School
Two Hundred fifteen months since that September night in 1960 had past. Countless hours of dedicated and determined work by Firefighters, Fire Officers and other interested partied resulted in this new facility. A place where fire fighters would have the tools they needed to hone their skills and learn new ones. This was a BIG step in improving the safety for all the residents and guests of York County. The people that worked so hard to bring the school to life knew this was not the end though. It was just the beginning of what promises to be bright future for the School.
Chapter Three
“The school grows in strength”
The York County Fire Chiefs and Firefighters Association did not rest with their accomplishment though. They had witnessed the birth of the new Fire School, now they realized that like the birth of child, it was just the beginning. The growth began almost immediately. In 1979 a storage building for ladders and extinguishers along with a rest room was added to the facility. The cost for this improvement was $3,500.00. A major step was taken in 1980, the construction of a building to house a class room, more rest rooms and an apparatus room. The blue building as it was called also needed a driveway and parking area. This was accomplished by the installation of a macadam surface for driveway and parking. The building cost $45,399.00 and the paving was $9,717.00. Now the facility really became a school! In 1978 the original buildings needed to do hands on operations were constructed, with the additions in 1980 we now had the facilities to introduce the students new concepts in the class room, then take them to an area where they put those ideas into practical evolutions.
In 1985 the York County Industrial Development Corporation donated an additional parcel of land adjacent to the existing structure. The 7.286 acres is located to the rear of the original property. This gave the School room to grow to meet its future needs. The very next year recognized the need for expansion. At this time in history the Association provided one of the County’s Hazardous Materials Teams. It was a forgone conclusion that the centralized location provide by the School was an ideal location for the team. Fifty One Thousand Fire Hundred Sixty dollars was appropriated and an addition to the facility was built. The structure referred to as the brown building, a four bay garage like structure, was constructed to meet the Associations needs. It not only housed the vehicles for the Hazmat team but it also handled vehicle and equipment storage for the school. The next year further paving was done to match the recent addition. The cost of this was $3,800.00.
During its first decade the school grew and matured into its destiny as an integral component of the Emergency services of York County. The school is a living entity. It was born and has grown. It met new challenges and it grew in strength. This all laid the foundation for future development to meet the need of a growing and changing community.
Chapter Four
“Ten years, and still growing”
The Fire School started its second decade with a big step. In 1988 a $23,500.00 investment was made in an air compressor to fill Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) Air Cylinders. During this same year the school acquired a donation of two 40 foot Cargo Trailers (Tractor Trailer Type) from Consolidated Freightways. The two trailer provided the back bone for a training maze to further enhance training York County’s Fire Fighters in the use of SCBA. The School invested $3,500.00 to build the maze in the donated trailer and to mount them on a firm foundation. With these two steps the school expanded its ability to meet the needs of the firefighters of York County. Also in 1998 a burglar and fire alarm system was installed at the school. The cost to protect this valuable property was $2,100.00.
The next year brought some big changes too. A Confined Space Rescue Area was installed. This new training asset was constructed to meet the ever changing challenges the fire service faces. As York County grew so did the needs of the firefighters who protect the County, This area has a 12 foot Man hole and 25 foot lateral Pipe to the outside. This cost the school $5,500.00. Also in 1989 a Railroad Tank Car was donated from Dupont for Hazardous Materials Training. The School incurred a cost of $3,000.00 to transport and permanently install this important teaching aid.
In 1991 the School took another big step. A major expansion of the classroom building was taken. Additional room for Classes, were constructed. This was done to meet the ever expanding demands for classroom space by the emergency service providers of the County. The Cost for this big step was $43,809.00. Also during 1991 the school updated its fleet of apparatus with a purchase of a 1968 Ward LaFrance Pumper at a cost of $5,000.00
In 1992 the School added a Roof Ventilation Simulator. This simple pitched roof measuring 16 ft X 32 ft. was built low to the ground for safety reasons and to enable the instructors to give better supervision and guidance during training sessions. The cost for the low tech teaching tool was $2,800.00. Improvements at the school were not always about money. The many firefighters that used the school often donated their time and talents to keep the school up to date and ready to fulfill its mission of helping the firefighters of York County be ready for the next emergency.
The New Freedom Fire Company donated a 1965 American Lafrance 85 ft Aerial Ladder in 1993. Again the school took another big step. This was the first piece of Aerial Equipment to belong to the school and to be there to be used by all the Firefighters of the County. This piece was keep by the School until it was sold for $1,500.00 in 1998 when it was replaced.
As the School grew and aged it became time to upgrade the alarm system. This was done in 1995 at a cost $2,812.00 the need to maintain safety and security is always a concern. The following year saw the addition of a 40 foot by 48 foot section to the Brown building. This was done to provide additional space as both the school and the Hazardous Materials team continued to grow. The cost for this expansion was $52,852.01. In 1997 another piece of apparatus was received by the school. The Goldsboro Fire Company donated a 1969 Ward LaFrance 1000 GPM Pumper.
Chapter Five
“Twenty years and more to come”
A decade had passed since the school opened its doors to help the fire fighters of York County be the best they could. The school kept working on self improvement too. Working with all the Fire Companies of York County and with the assistance of private history and with the support of the County government the school continued to grow. In 1998 the Hanover Fire Department donated a 1977 American LaFrance Aerial Apparatus this replaced the 1965 Ladder truck that New Freedom had donated in 1993.
After twenty one years of serving the emergency service providers of York County the Burn Building began to show its age. A twenty by thirty two foot addition was built. It was a two story addition with a basement. A temperature monitoring system was also added at this time. The cost for this upkeep and expansion, 168,211.96 with these updates the school was ready to continue its mission of safely preparing the firefighters of York County for challenges of fire fighting.
Also in 1999 the school received a Donation of $4,000.00 from the Yoe Fire Company. This contribution was to install a new lighted sign at the school entrance. Also in 1999 an Electrical Transmission Simulation area was constructed. This area consisted of consists of four telephone poles, transformers, wiring and electrical meters. This area provides Firefighters a safe area where the can learn about various aspects of potential emergencies involving Electrical Transmission Lines. This area was a donation from Gpu Energy.
On August 19th, 2000 the York County Firemen’s Association made a donation of $ 5,000.00 toward building
Additional class room Space. This was the start of another big step for the school. This was the seed money that lead to the major addition to the “Blue Building” in 2002. The new addition gave the school two additional Class rooms and a break room. This expansion enabled the school to conduct two to three class room activities at the same time.
In 2001 the school installed a sprinkler system simulator in the training tower. As the county continued to grow so did the needs of its fire service. This was yet another invaluable training tool that was added at a cost to the school of $4600.00.
In 2002 the School secured the funds to purchase a used 1982 Ford 1000 GPM Pumper apparatus from Fawn Grove. This was yet another step in the continuous maintenance an upgrading of the school’s tools that enable us to deliver the training to the firefighters and Emergency Service provider of York County.
Chapter Six
“Working together we achieved a lot, and we are just getting started”
Thanks to the generosity and foresight of the York County Industrial Development Corporation the school now operates on 12.125 acres of land that is under continuous development. Through out the years there were many other donations received from several of the Volunteer Fire Department, Industrial Plants, Service Groups as well as many Individuals. Still others contributed countless man-hours in maintenance and working for the facility. Still more donated countless hours to help provide the training conducted at the school. All of these factors had to come together to make the dream that was sparked in 1960 by Chief “Mac” Eby come true.
In 1999, there were 53 Pennsylvania State Certified programs conducted at the school. The attendance was 1167 students who were involved in 1101 hours of instruction for a total of 26,800.5 man hours. Total Programs for the year of 1999 were 85, with 1654 students 1243 hours Instruction and 30,255 man hours, attended at the York County Fire Training School.
Many thanks to our former, present and future County Commissioners for making the appropriations of funds, toward construction, operation and maintenance of the York County Fire Training School. With the continued support of our Commissioners, the York County Fire Training School will continue to grow well into the 21st. Century. As we to the future and the challenges that it will bring us we must never forget all of those who have laid the foundation, but figuratively and really, of the School. From 1960 through 1978 to the present and on into the future, the Dream continues.
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