Van Buren Fire Dept. seeks buildings for fire fighter training

The Van Buren Township Fire Department is asking property owners who may have a structure that is abandoned and/or ready to be demolished to allow firefighters to conduct training in it.
There are three types of training:
• Non-destructive (used for search and rescue training);
• Destructive (used for breaching walls, cutting holes in roofs, knocking out windows, etc.); and
• Burn (used for fire suppression activities — eventually burning the structure to the ground).
The VBTFD needs abandoned/vacant buildings for these different types of training. If a property owners has a vacant structure that he/she would like to donate for use by the fire department, but doesn’t want the building destroyed, he can request it be used for non-destructive training.
If a property owner has a vacant structure that is scheduled for demolition, the fire department would be grateful to use it for destructive or burn training.
The best structures for firefighter training are ones that are not good for the owners — having low appeal for potential tenants. Buildings that are most sought after are abandoned/vacant: single family residences, multi-family residents, one or two-story apartment buildings, and large “Big Box” facilities (i.e. grocery stores, hardware stores, commercial-type buildings, etc.).
Some of the criteria for the properties include having had a completed asbestos survey and proof of NO insurance. To donate property or for more information, contact Battalion Chief Ron Folks at [email protected] or (734) 341-3724.