2007 News

November 2 , 2007

Bucks County Commissioners Announce Site of Lower Bucks Fire & Public Safety School
Letter of Intent to Purchase Property on Rohm & Haas Complex Sets Plans in Motion for State-of-Art Training Facility

Future Site, as seen from Google EarthDuring an afternoon ceremony today featuring Bucks County Commissioners Charles H. Martin, chairman, James F. Cawley, Esq., and Sandra A. Miller, fire trucks framed the announcement that the Rohm & Haas complex will be the home of the new Lower Bucks Public Safety Training Facility. The commissioners were joined by Emergency Services Division Leader John Dougherty, representatives of the Lower Bucks Fire School Committee, first-responders from Falls Twp., Tullytown, Croydon, Bristol Twp. and other lower Bucks municipalities, and officials from Bucks County Community College.

The 11-acre tract and its response-specific buildings will offer lower Bucks firefighters, police and emergency medical services a convenient location, eliminating the need to commute to Doylestown Twp. for critical education and drilling.

“We are extremely excited to enter into this letter of intent with Rohm and Haas, as it represents a major step forward in our goal of bringing a public safety training center to the first-responders and residents of lower Bucks County,” Chairman Martin noted. “This is another hurdle that we have cleared in our ongoing commitment to providing key resources for the fire, police and EMS communities who serve us so capably.”

Fire and Safeety Personnel with the Bucks County Commissioners at the announcement of the site.

Commissioner Cawley expressed his gratitude to the members of the commissioners’ Lower Bucks Fire School Committee, adding, “This is a much-anticipated day, one that underscores our commitment to public safety resources and training. Within the foreseeable future, we will have two regionalized training facilities in Bucks County – both of which will feature state-of-the-art infrastructure.”

Commissioner Miller, a life-long resident of lower Bucks, expressed gratitude for the efforts leading to today’s announcement. “I know how much this training facility will mean to the men and women who volunteer their time to protect their fellow Bucks Countians. It will save them valuable driving time, which they can dedicate to honing the expertise they need.”

Commissioner Cawley and President Linksz, of BCCC look at the site image map.During late June, the commissioners joined with members of the firefighting community to demolish the former Doylestown Twp. burn building. Currently under construction is a Class A, wood-incinerating burn building (the former building was a Class B, or gas, facility) that will feature advances in training such as rapid intervention, firefighter survival, and ventilation.

The commissioners will work closely with members of the Lower Bucks Fire School Committee, as well as police and EMS representatives, to examine issues of design and construction for the Bristol Twp. facility.