On Friday May 15th, members of the Thorndale Volunteer Fire Company attended the official opening of the Chester County Public Safety Training Campus located in South Coatesville. Thorndale’s Fire Police Capt. Ron Miller was in attendance as the President of the Chester County Fire Police Association. The training facility will allow all emergency responders from across all disciplines to train together to better assist the county’s more than 500,000 citizens.

The activities today included speeches from the host of the day, Chester County Director of Emergency Services Robert Kagel, county commissioners, and other special guests. There was also a mock vehicle accident with patient extrication performed by the West Bradford Fire Company, a rappelling and victim rescue demonstration from the County Community Emergency Response Team and a car fire demonstration by the Wagontown Fire Company.

From the Ceremony program:

“For over 50 years it was the vision of the Chester County emergency services community to be able to train together, across all disciplines. Until now, there have been no opportunities for the 5,000 plus emergency responders to practically train with each other within the boundaries of Chester County—yet they all respond to emergencies and work in unison, time and time again.

The vision for emergency responders cross-discipline training came a little closer to reality on November, 23, 2010, when the Chester County Board of Commissioners announced the purchase of land, approved for a training facility, on Modena Road in the Borough of South Coatesville. The property, acquired form ArcelorMittal, included an existing building and 95 acres of land—sufficient space for the future Chester County Public Safety Campus.

The first phase of the Campus, the Academic Building, was officially opened on September 9th, 2012. Today marks the completion of phase two of the project, and the official opening of the Tactical Village.

Many people through Chester County have helped to make the Public Safety Training Campus a reality, and will continue to provide support as the project moves on to phase three.

Today’s official opening provides an opportunity to recognize the efforts of everyone.

Today’s official opening program also includes a dedication of the 9/11 memorial placed at the heart of the Tactical Village , featuring stone remnants for the attack on the Pentagon building on September 11th, 2001.

This dedication includes the laying of three memorial wreaths alongside the 9/11 memorial: a wreath remembering all emergency responders who died on September 11th, 2001; a wreath remembering all the emergency responders in Chester County who died in the line of duty; and a wreath remembering Ed Atkins, Chester County’s Director of Emergency Services from 1997 to 2014.”