Upgrades Make PA Department's Drill Tower 'Useful Again'

Oct. 20, 2020
Greensburg volunteer firefighters have new tools to train with after repairs to the department's five-story drill tower turned into a major facelift for the 60-year-old facility at Lynch Field.

What started as an effort to replace cracking concrete blocks at the Greensburg Volunteer Fire Department's drill tower at Lynch Field has culminated in a major renovation that adds numerous new tools for firefighters to train with.

"It's become useful again," said department President Rick Steele.

New features at the five-story tower include a modular maze filled with hazards for firefighters to crawl throughincluding a trapdoor that can drop them a few feet to simulate a collapsing floor.

"It's trying to get them accustomed to using that mask in a controlled environment," said fire Chief Tom Bell. "Now when they go to an actual fire they have it in their heads that 'hey, this is routine, this is just like at the drill tower."

A storage container outside the tower has been converted into a smoke simulator. The department will use burning bales of straw inside the container to fill it with smoke, giving new firefighters experience using their breathing masks and navigating in low-visibility environments.

The department's training facility at Lynch Field was built in 1960. It was state-of-the-art for the time, but fell behind in the ensuing decades, according to assistant fire Chief Rick Hoyle.

"Basically all we had was a five-story tower, it could be used but it was limited," he said.

The years took their toll. The tower's cement blocks were cracking, and the second-story floor of the facility's annex was sagging.

When repair work began, officials took the opportunity to see what training equipment other departments had and emulate some of the best ideas, Hoyle said. The department's ranks are swelling with young firefighters, which makes extra training tools especially useful, Steele said. There are about 20 junior firefighters in Greensburg.

"That's the future of the volunteer fire department in Greensburg."

A new roof simulator outside the tower can be set to any angle, letting firefighters practice climbing and using tools on sloped roofs.

The tower has always had a stand pipe and an outdoor water hookup, which allows a pumper truck to hook up a water supply that is pumped to the building's upper floor. A new, more modern hookup was added this year, and the pipe was extended to the third floor.

This emulates the setup common in large buildings, Hoyle said.

A large metal door simulator kept in the pavilion outside the tower weighs 1,500 pounds and can be used to model a variety of forcible entry scenarios, according to Steele.

The work cost about $80,000 and was funded through community donations and grants.

"Thank God for the people around us who contributed donations to this," said assistant fire Chief Tony Manley.

The department was able to save money by doing most of the labor themselves.

The wooden modules for the maze were built at Greensburg Hose Company #7's fire station before being installed in the tower.

The department will hold a rededication ceremony to celebrate the new additions and the tower's 50-year history Nov. 1 at 11 a.m.

Jacob Tierney is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jacob at 724-836-6646, [email protected] or via Twitter .

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