AFR Dedicates New State of the art "Burn Building"
By: ABQRAW staff
Posted: 8/24/2023 @ 3:30PM
Mayor Tim Keller shows off the newest addition to AFR's training academy, a burn building
Albuquerque - Today at the Albuquerque Fire Academy Mayor Tim Keller, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, state and city leaders joined Albuquerque Fire Rescue personnel to celebrate the dedication of AFR's newest training structure. The addition of the burn building to AFR's training facility enables staff to teach new firefighters the fundamental skills of fire behavior, search, and firefighting. This structure also allows AFR to provide more frequent live fire training for experienced field crews.
"I am incredibly proud to have secured half a million dollars for this crucial public safety project," said Governor Michelle Lujan-Grisham. "Our first responders and the New Mexicans they serve deserve to have the very best tools available to keep our communities safe."
"Our firefighters at Albuquerque Fire Rescue give their best on every call, and they deserve the best training possible," said Mayor Tim Keller. "This state-of-the-art burn building allows for realistic and repeatable training and is a game changer for the department."
"Albuquerque Fire Rescue is grateful for the support from Governor Lujan-Grisham, Mayor Keller, and all of the Senators and Representatives on this burn building project", said Fire Chief Emily Jaramillo. She went on to say, "The addition of the burn structure will provide a space for our newest and most experienced firefighters to train on scenarios that will ensure quality and proficient service delivery to Albuquerque residents while also helping to keep our firefighters safe."
Albuquerque Fire Rescue is one of the busiest departments in the nation. In 2022 AFR answered almost 109,000 calls for service and over 8,000 of those were fire responses. The addition of this burn building to AFR's Academy will allow training opportunities to prepare members of Albuquerque Fire Rescue for the challenges they face daily.
The versatile building can be set up for both live burn and smoke simulations. AFR is able create advanced scenarios in a controlled environment to challenge even the most seasoned of firefighters.
The burn building required several years of research and planning. The project was made possible by funding from State Capital Outlay and thanks to the support of Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury, Senator
Michael Padilla, Representative Patricia Roybal Caballero, and Representative Debra Sarinana.
Watch the full press conference HERE: