TCFD is Requesting Help!
Vacant/Abandoned Buildings are Needed for Training Drills.
The Traverse City Fire Department is asking property owners within the City of Traverse City who may have a structure that is abandoned and/or ready to be demolished to allow TCFD Firefighters to conduct training in it.
There are 2 types of training that the TCFD performs in these buildings:
Non-destructive training: Search and Rescue drills using a training smoke machine.
If a property owner has a vacant structure that he/she would like to donate for use by the fire department, but doesn't want the building destroyed, it can be requested that the building be used for only non-destructive training.
Destructive: Breaching walls, roofs, ceilings, knocking out windows, use of water, hand tools, power tools, etc.
If a property owner has a vacant structure that is scheduled for demolition, the fire department would be grateful to use it for destructive training.
The Traverse City Fire Department needs abandoned/vacant buildings for these different types of training. The best structures for firefighter training are ones that have low appeal to potential tenants/buyers. Buildings that are most sought after are:
- Single-family residences
- Multi-family residences
- One or two-story apartment buildings
- Strip shopping centers
- Large "Big Box" facilities (commercial-type buildings, factories, stores, etc.)
Criteria for the properties include a completed asbestos survey (required prior to demolition), and a proof of NO insurance.