Assistant City Manager Lonzo Anderson said the facility marks an important milestone for the community.
"This training center represents far more than just a new structure. It stands as a symbol of readiness, strength and advancement," Anderson said.
How we got here
The $2 million fire training facility was approved by San Marcos voters in a 2017 bond election. San Marcos City Council approved Phase 1 in September 2019, and the fire department held a groundbreaking ceremony in September 2022, according to previous reporting by Community Impact.
Zooming in
The facility is two-story, Class A residence burn building that offers structural firefighter training, search and rescue training, and ventilation training. The department now has a flashover container and multiple propane-fed fire training props.
"One is a vehicle fire, so we'll be able to train on car firefighting tactics, which will now include [electric vehicles]," Fire Chief Les Stephens told Community Impact.
What residents should know
Once completed, the fire training facility will give firefighters the opportunity to train and practice their skills outside of an emergency. The facility is also a step toward achieving a Public Protection Classification, or PPC, of 1 from the Insurance Services Office, or ISO.
The PPC program is a community fire protection scoring system ranging from 1-10—1 meaning the community has superior property fire protection—according to the Texas Department of Insurance. San Marcos currently has a score of 2, but the new training facility will give the fire department the ability to build a training program that achieves compliance with the ISO guidelines, Stephens said.
"That is one of three things that we need to do to move the city to a 1 which will help all of our residents and business owners see reductions in their insurance premiums," he added.
Stay tuned
Stephens said the timeline for the remaining phases of the project—which are dependent on the city's ability to fund them—are still being determined. The funding will come from Capital Improvement Project funds or a future bond election.
Future phasing will include:
- A new fire station
- Administration/classroom building
- Outdoor classrooms
- Training storage building
- Six-story tower burn building
- Shopping center burn building
