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Allentown breaks ground for Fire Academy
Cris Collingwood//September 1, 2022//
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The City of Allentown broke ground Wednesday for the new Allentown Fire Academy that will train people interested in a career as a firefighter.
The Allentown Fire Academy will be located directly behind Mack South Fire Station at 1902 Lehigh Street.
The new facility will have five administrative offices, two fire academy offices, classroom space that can accommodate up to 100 individuals, and mixed storage space for classroom and hands-on training equipment.
“We look forward to expanding and inviting other jurisdictions to participate in our Fire Academy already offered to our neighboring cities of Bethlehem and Easton,” said Fire Chief Freddie Agosto. “We’ve seen increased regional demand for our training services, which speaks volumes for our program. This will be a huge win for the entire City, as we also look to expand development and implementation of additional fire safety programs.”
The city plans to offer educational opportunities at the Fire Academy to residents and businesses, such as preparing emergency operations plans and general safety and health classes.
The building will also house the city’s first-ever Emergency Operations Center (EOC).
The space will be high-tech and provide real time information to the incident command team and offer quick support response and recovery operations during an emergency including weather events and public safety operations, the city said. The EOC can also support and assist Lehigh County Emergency Management during large scale events.
The project received federal and state support from Congresswoman Susan Wild, D-7th District, and State Senator Pat Browne, R-Lehigh County.
The new Fire Academy and EOC is anticipated to open February 2023.
