Contributed By
The City of Opelika
The city of Opelika and the Opelika Fire Department along with the Alabama Fire College recently announced that the Opelika Fire Department was named the newest member of the Alabama Fire College’s team of Regional Training Centers (RTC). Opelika is the 21st Regional Training Center of the Alabama Fire College and Personnel Standards and Education Commission.
“The city of Opelika has made substantial financial investments to the Opelika Fire Training Center to be able to adequately handle a designation like this,” said Opelika Mayor Gary Fuller. “The continued growth in Opelika and the surrounding area makes this opportunity even more important for our fire department’s development. This is good for Opelika Fire but also local restaurants, hotels and merchants as we will now be hosting and training students from all over the country at our facility.”
The purpose of the RTC network is to allow Alabama firefighters to receive emergency response training locally in the communities where they live and work, rather than travel across the state to the Alabama Fire College.
“I firmly believe Opelika Fire has one of the best Training Centers in the state of Alabama and we continue to try and make it better every day,” said OFD Chief Shane Boyd. “Selfishly, with a very young department like we have right now, training is the primary building block we use to prepare for our communities’ emergencies, whatever they may be. With plans for a new Station on the horizon and new personnel expected in the next year, tahis could not have come at a better time. I know this will lead to a more progressive, better trained Fire Department here in Opelika and we are very grateful to The Alabama Fire College for giving us this opportunity.”
During the evaluation of the Opelika Fire Training Cetner, Executive Director Matt Russell said, “the Alabama Fire College staff were extremely impressed at the investment the city of Opelika has made to ensure their fire department has facilities and other resources to provide training in a safe manner. It is obvious to me based on the financial investment in their training facilities, the emergency responders and by extension, the citizens, in the Auburn-Opelika area have the support of their fire chiefs, mayors and other elected officials.”