Gilford Selectmen okay Fire Dept request to seek Planning Board approval for training facility

Gilford Fire Chief Jim Hayes received the nod he was looking for last night when the Board of Selectmen unanimously authorized him to seek site plan approval from the town’s Planning Board for the Fire Department’s proposed training facility.

The 27-foot by 60-foot training structure is proposed for the unused rear portion of Gilford’s recycling center located off of Lily Pond Road (Rt. 11-C) in back of the Laconia Airport. It will consist of six 40-foot and one 20-foot ‘Connex’ storage containers assembled to resemble a three-story residential structure. The interior of the structure could be configured and filled with props to more closely simulate the conditions fire fighters would encounter during actual emergencies.

Hays originally proposed to locate the training center behind the fire station on Cherry Valley Road in Gilford Village. The Board of Selectmen, with only Chair Gus Beneavides and John O’Brien present, split on approving that location at its July 7 meeting. Beneavides was prepared to approve the location. O’Brien objected, saying, “I have a problem having it where it is proposed.” He added that the site would often be filled with water and smoke.

When Hayes returned to the board last night, he mentioned three possibilities — the upper pit area on Department of Public Works grounds on Cherry Valley Road, the Lily Pond Road site that was used as a regional fire training site for many years before being abandoned a dozen years ago, and the recycling center location. The DPW location was determined to be too close to the town well, and the Lily Pond Road location was put under a conservation easement by its owner, the City of Laconia, after environmental hazards were cleaned up some years ago.

The recycling center property seemed best suited for the proposed use. According to Hayes, “It qualifies because it is town-owned, it’s in a non-residential area, it is out of sight, and the area where it would be located can be secured with relative ease.

O’Brien got a negative response when he asked Hayes if any toxic materials would be used during the training sessions. Hayes said that hay bales and pallets would be used to fuel the training fires.

In response to questions from Beneavides, Hayes said, “The structure will be well below the height limitations for the area around the airport, and there will be less smoke than there is when the brush pile at the recycling center is burned.” He also said he would make personal contact with Airport Manager Diane Cooper to make sure the airport’s concerns, if any, were addressed.

Fire Department personnel plan a series of functions to raise the funds needed to purchase the containers that will be used in the structure. Hayes credited Bruce Barrett of the Laconia Fire Department with the preparation of the computer aid designs (CAD) of the proposed training facility.