A Thousand Palms facility designed for firefighters to get the training they need to protect Coachella Valley residents is scheduled to open today.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony is set for 10 a.m. at the Roy Wilson Fire Station and Training Center at Ramon and Robert roads.
Named after the late Riverside County supervisor, the $10 million facility includes a 9,072-square-foot fire station, a technology training center, an underground water and mud training area, and a five-story drill tower.
It will be the first of its kind in eastern Riverside County.
“Now we will be able to offer training here locally without having to send people outside of the valley,” California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Deputy Chief Ignacio Otero said Friday.
He added it will save the department time and money on sending crew members outside the area, which usually occurred on their days off.
Public safety officials from around Southern California will use the new facility.
Residents may see police officers rappelling from the tower or firefighters putting out fires on any given day, Otero said.
The training center will also be used for College of the Desert’s fire academy courses, which have about 150 enrolled students.
The Desert Sun
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