On-Site Training Emphasized in Sartell Public Safety Facility

SARTELL -- There's a lot of excitement from the Sartell Fire Department as progress on the new Public Safety Facility continues to take shape.

Fire Chief Jim Sattler says their half of the building was designed with a strong emphasis in on-site training.

Training is really important and we want to be able to have the ability to train new and current firefighters in our facility without having to go somewhere.

Some of those training tools include a second level to work on repelling and a hose tower.

We will be able to do drills where the truck will pull up to this building where it can charges the sprinkler systems inside. We have multiple floors so firefighters can train like they're going up into an apartment building.

The facility also provides a larger footprint, which will allow them to store all their equipment under one roof, as opposed to utilizing three separate buildings.

Sattler says a feature he's looking forward too is having a clean zone for their turnout gear.

In the current station our gear is in the apparatus bay. This facility will have it's own sealed area for turnout gear. It won't have exhaust getting on it and there will even be areas in the station where firefighters won't be able to go with their gear.

Sattler says they are also planning to display Sartell's first fire truck inside the main lobby to honor the department's past.

The new Public Safety Facility is located north of the Heritage Drive roundabout along Pinecone Road. If all goes well they hope to be in the building by July.

As part of Fire Prevention Week this week, Sattler says they are also holding an Open House Thursday inside their current fire station from 4:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. It is open to the public.