Page 16 - Annual Report 2021

Delaware State Fire School
1461 Chestnut Grove Road
DTI
Dover, DE 19904

History of the Fire School

Over five decades ago, a group of different projects were completed that added
ambitious men from the Delaware Fire Service to the ability of the school to conduct and
organized the first formal training program for improve training. These included the con-
the volunteer firemen. For many years, the struction of the Confined Space Training area
Educational Committee of the Delaware Vol- and the Forcible Entry building, along with the
unteer Firefighter's Association, supported by replacement of the outdoor classrooms. With
the Department of Vocational and Technical the financial support of the State Legislature,
Education carried on a valiant and rewarding the Fire School was able to construct two
program to provide training for the firemen in Divisions, one in Sussex County, which was
the state. They held classes in abandoned ed into an auditorium. completed in April 1992, and one in New Cas-
houses, in sandpits, at schools, in fire stations, The drill grounds included a net- tle County, which was completed in Septem-
and any other location that they could find. work of roadways connecting the various ber 1997. These regional training centers
During this time, the dream of a permanent training areas. The Structural Fire Building allow the school to provide in-service training
training center took root and grew, nourished serves as a multi-purpose building. The to our customers.
by the ideas of many dedicated men. right side of the building simulates a regular While the Classrooms and Admin-
Actual design for the center began in 2 ½ - story dwelling, with the left side simu- istration Building are the focal point of the
November 1964 when the Delaware State Fire lating a commercial or industrial building. complex, the Drill Tower dominates the sky-
School was created as a State agency. With The Control Tower is the nerve center of line. This original structure that has served
the financial backing of the State Legislature, the training complex. From the windows on many functions since the beginning was com-
the staff and the architect began to sort ideas the second floor, the visitors and safety pletely refurbished ensuring that the struc-
to fit the needs of the fire service, and to visit officer have an unobstructed view of every ture would remain serviceable for another 40
other training facilities to review the good and one of the different training areas. The orig- years.
bad points of each. Finally, a plan was devel- inal construction also included a Breathing A newly constructed Sussex Division
oped which, interestingly enough, was not Apparatus Building that offers a special was completed June 2013. It includes two
modified from the start, attesting to the origi- facility for training firefighter’s in the use of new classrooms seating 40 students each.
nal strength of the plan. all types of breathing apparatus under actu- An additional classroom and offices were add-
On November 12, 1966, the dream al smoke and darkness conditions. ed to the New Castle Division in 2017. In
began to take shape as a reality when Gover- During the mid 1970’s four pole 2018, the Dover Division remodeled the Ad-
nor Charles L. Terry, Jr. turned the first spade shed type classroom structures were erect- ministrative Offices and created a computer
full of earth, officially starting the construc- ed on the drill grounds. These outdoor stu- lab, new SERT office and School Store area.
dent areas are equipped with chalkboard New restrooms and HVAC system were up-
and electricity. During 1978 a new training dated in 2020.
area was constructed as the Flammable The Delaware State Fire School cele-
Gases Training Area, located between the brated its 50th year of service in 2014. Today
pump house and the Liquids Training Area. the complex of training facilities, classrooms
The current Classroom and Admin- and administration buildings stand as a trib-
istration building bears little resemblance to ute to those dedicated men who had a
the original Administrative Building. Dur- dream, as well as the succession of governors
ing Fiscal Year 1981, 16,200 square feet of who have given their unflagging support, the
additional administrative, classroom, and succession of legislators who made the dream
cafeteria areas were added to meet the a reality, and to the thousands of firefighters
tion. The original Classroom and Administra- growing and expanding needs of the Fire for whom this center was built and will always
tion building was divided into three sections. School. The modern facility can comfortably be maintained.
The western end housed the office of the accommodate approximately 700 people for
director, senior instructors, administrative learning, workshops, meetings, or for any
offices, and locker facilities for the staff and purpose in which large numbers of people
students. Either a hallway or a closet separat- assemble.
ed each of the four classrooms in the center During the summer of 1984 the
section, thus allowing for maximum sound- Flammable Liquids area was reconstructed
proofing. The third section of the Administra- to upgrade the original liquids training area.
tion building originally housed the cafeteria, a And the late 1980’s added another addition
completely equipped kitchen, and an appa- to the west end to house the Fire Preven-
ratus room. In 1970 with the addition of the tion Commission and their Secretary.
warehouse the apparatus room was convert- Throughout the 1990’s many
Phone: (302) 739-4773 Fax: (302) 739-6245 www.statefireschool.delaware.gov