Archives of the Mayor's Press Office

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: Monday, December 11, 2000

Release #459-00

 
Contact: Sunny Mindel / Lynn Rasic (212) 788-2958
  David Billig (FDNY) (718) 999-2056

MAYOR GIULIANI AND FIRE COMMISSIONER VON ESSEN BREAK GROUND
ON NEW STATE-OF-THE-ART FIRE TRAINING FACILITY

Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani joined Fire Commissioner Thomas Von Essen and Department of Design and Construction Commissioner Kenneth Holden to break ground on a new $44.8 million state-of-the-art fire training facility at Randall’s Island. The long-awaited project will include the construction of three new buildings and the renovation of one existing structure.

“The purpose of this facility is to ensure that we can build on the strong record of rescue and safety demonstrated by the New York City Fire Department,” Mayor Giuliani said. “The three new buildings that we are breaking ground on today, in addition to a significant renovation of another building, will make sure that our firefighters remain the best trained in the world. This project is an investment that we believe will help save lives of our citizens and our firefighters.”

“By supporting the construction of this new facility, Mayor Giuliani has once again demonstrated his commitment to the Fire Department, its mission, its future, and the citizens that it serves,” Commissioner Von Essen said. “The buildings here were built in 1975 and although they continue to serve us well, they cannot support the new technology needed to effectively and efficiently train our firefighters to safely serve the citizens of this City.”

“The work of New York’s Bravest is unpredictable, complex, and dangerous,” Commissioner Holden said. “We are proud to build this state-of-the-art training facility which will help members of the FDNY to remain at the top of their profession. Ultimately, we see our role as constructing a building that will help the Fire Department help others.”

The project, designed by Swanke Hayden Connell Architects (SHCA), includes the renovation of an existing 4,000 square-foot building for live fire training, along with the construction of three new buildings.

The new facility will include:

"We are committed to creating facilities that provide the very latest training technologies," said project director and SHCA Principal Cynthia Kracauer, AIA.

The current 27-acre Fire Department Training Academy consists of 10 buildings and was built in 1975 by the New York State Urban Development Corporation at a cost of $13,000,000. Construction at the site is expected to be complete by June 2003.

 

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