Lexington County firefighters, deputies, paramedics have new place to train

Lexington County firefighters are improving their skills at a new $2.4 million training center.

A crew of firefighters extinguished a blaze set Thursday to illustrate how they will use the pair of facilities in a county office complex a mile west of the town of Lexington.

Both facilities are open for use by law enforcement officers and ambulance crews as well. Commonly, first responders train in separate facilities. But the new center is for joint usage.

Training is “limited only by the imagination of instructors,” county spokesman Harrison Cahill said.

The two- and four-story buildings allow a variety of scenarios designed to prepare for all types of emergencies, he said.

The center is named for the late Frank Ballentine, long-time chief of training for county firefighters.

Tim Flach

This story was originally published December 15, 2017 at 11:42 AM with the headline "Lexington County firefighters, deputies, paramedics have new place to train."