A new $3 million fire training tower at the Chattanooga Fire and Police Training Center at 3200 Amnicola Highway should be complete this fall.
The city and county are jointly funding a replacement to the original 50-year-old structure, which was built in 1976. Demolition began Oct. 30, and construction materials will arrive at the end of April. The old six-story structure far exceeded its lifetime, the department has said.
“The tower was designed with input and help from our command staff and training officials, who will be using it to further firefighters’ skills,” Lindsey Rogers, spokesperson for the Chattanooga Fire Department, said in an email. “Creating the most realistic training scenarios provides the best preparation for real challenges and obstacles that can arise on any fire or emergency scene.”