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March 7 - 21, 2015
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Jan. 23 - Feb. 5, 2016 www.SanTanSun.com
New burn building to offer better training for firefighters good drywall, sprinkler systems and fire resistant materials, which contain burning, live fire experiences are harder to come by these days. As a result, Gale said, firefighters don’t get much experience with real fires. In 2014, Chandler Fire, Health and Medical attended to 21,442 incidents. Just 2 percent of that—about 428— were fire emergencies including minor incidents such as oven, car and dumpster fires. Officials estimate about 100 to 120 each year are working fires. If fires are high frequency and high risk, firefighters won’t need added training on them, Gale said. However, if it’s high risk with low frequency, training in a more realistic environment is necessary, he said. “When I go into a house fire that’s really a house fire, and before I spray the water, I know what’s going to happen next,” he said. “I can expect it, it doesn’t shock me; I work through the super heat and all the different things that happen knowing what’s going to come next.” For crews that don’t have much familiarity with live fires, the knowledge is limited. Currently, when Chandler fire personnel want further training or need to train new recruits, they ask to use the Class A Burn Buildings in Tempe or Mesa.
BY SRIANTHI PERERA
Chandler is due to break ground in February on a new, state-of-the-art firefighter training facility. The Class A Burn Building, as it’s called, will be located on the grounds of the current training facility at 3550 S. Dobson Rd., adjoining the Intel Ocotillo Campus. The 9,880-square-foot facility is estimated to cost about $2,879,000. One of the best features of the new burn building is that it will enable the burning of wood and fuel, and not just gas, said Val H. Gale Jr., health and innovations battalion chief of the City of Chandler Fire, Health & Medical Department. “The benefit of that is it’s a realistic fire environment,” he said. The existing 6,992-square-foot, concrete facility comprises a six-story burn tower and a two-story house, where propane gas could be burnt in certain areas and turned off at will. It also has a car fire prop, roof props and other features. “The gas burn building is a great prop for new firefighters as we train them in a very controlled environment,” Gale said. “It’s a great prop for experienced firefighters who know how smoke reacts, but it’s good practice for them to get in and do search and rescue and different techniques.” Because modern buildings contain
Fire crews train with real fires to simulate live scenarios. STSN photo by Tiera Allen
Update of financial policies to strengthen City’s standing BY SRIANTHI PERERA
Chandler has demonstrated sound finances and earned an AAA rating from credit agencies. Recently, the City updated its financial policies, thereby taking one more step to solidify its financial footing. Even though the financial policies are reviewed as part of the annual budget, this year’s review was more extensive, said Dawn Lang, management services director. One of the main reasons for the update is the growing cost of pensions of public safety personnel. The “unfunded liabilities”—the amount that the City needs but is short to pay the pension plan—was a huge topic of conversation for the City Council last year.
“Every city is grappling with the fact that the costs are growing faster than we can really sustain them. In Legislative sessions, there’s been a lot of discussion around pensions and just trying to make it more sustainable in the future,” Lang said. Over the last few years, many cities have analyzed the demographics of the public service personnel, their service lengths and other factors to figure out just how much shortfall needs to be made up to protect their pensions, Lang added. Chandler, which has a total operating and capital budget of $910.6 million, has to also ensure that the General Fund can meet the demands of all the other departments and services.
see FIREFIGHTERS page 4
New Multi Service Center will house Department of Economic Security offices BY SRIANTHI PERERA
The Department of Economic Security is poised to relocate its Gilbert location to Chandler in August, boosting the city’s employment by about 365. A new 80,000-square-foot Multi Service Center is to be built at 2905 N. Arizona Ave. The following is a breakdown of the programs that will be offered there as well as the anticipated annual numbers of clients that will be served, according to DES: • Division of Developmental Disabilities (3,471)
• Division of Benefits and Medical Eligibility, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families and Medical Eligibility determination for some Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System programs (95,000) • Division of Aging and Adult Services (2,500 cases of suspected abuse, neglect or exploitation of a vulnerable adult) • Division of Child Support Services and the Office of the Attorney General Child Support Services Section (37,185).
see UPDATE page 4
Voted Chandler’s BEST REALTOR for 4 years!
See WHY on page 18
A Happy New Year from The Amy Jones Group!
see DES page 4
F E AT U R E STO R I E S Sun Lakes rocket scientist remembers the Challenger . . . . community . . . . . . . . Page 14 Veteran wins $1K Home Depot gift card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . business . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 21 Local residents’ rhymes become children’s books . . . . . . . . youth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 27 The Coloring Craze is coming to the libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . neighbors . . . . . . . . . . Page 46 Smith set to headline the Great American Barbecue & Beer Festival . arts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 56
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