FRESNO, CA – On Tuesday, Senator Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger) presented a check for $25 million to go to a new Regional Fire Training Center in Fresno. She released a statement today:

“Climate change is already here” said Senator Hurtado. “In California, we know this, we see it every year as our fire season gets longer, more dangerous and unpredictable. Until now, the Central Valley has lacked access to some of the most vital components for fire service—an adequate training facility and specialty props. We must take swift actions for human security, and that’s what this regional fire training facility is for. This is not just a win for Fresno, but for the State and Central Valley.” 

“Fresno has long sought a new fire training center to replace our aging, antiquated facility.  Money was the only obstacle,” said Jerry Dyer, Mayor of Fresno. “Thanks to the Governor and the state Legislature, that hurdle is now cleared and we can begin building. Sen. Hurtado was critical in this effort. Without her, the $25 million allocation wouldn’t have happened. Now that this has occurred, Fresno and area fire agencies will soon have a state-of-the-art facility that ensures Valley residents have firefighters trained in the latest firefighting skills and life-saving procedures. And, at a savings to taxpayers, because they no longer will have to travel for such training.”

Built in the 1930s, the last major upgrade to the training center was in 1953. The training center was built for a department of 100, which protected a population of 50,000; Fresno, today, has more than 540,000 residents and 302 firefighters on staff.

The City of Fresno is positioned as a regional hub, meaning that this training center will help support fire personnel in surrounding cities and counties. Fresno hosts hundreds of fire service training officers from across California at the Training Officers Symposium, the state’s premiere fire-training event.

This $25 million investment in the Central Valley will allow the fire service to perform live-fire training exercises, and use specialty training props. It will ensure smaller fire departments in the region don’t need to travel to Los Angeles or the Bay Area for training, helping to strengthen the Central Valley’s workforce pipeline, and bringing the departments closer to state and national average recommended ratios of firefighters-per-population coverage.

Media Contact: Michelle.Sherwood@sen.ca.gov

About Senator Melissa Hurtado

Senator Melissa Hurtado represents a new generation of Latina leaders as the youngest woman ever elected to the California State Senate and a product of immigrant parents. Senator Hurtado represents the 14th Senate District and focuses on rural community issues that often go unheard — access to clean air and water, food insecurity and poverty, inequities in environmental policies, agriculture and access to health care. In July 2020, she was appointed to the national Biden Latino Leadership Committee alongside former Labor Secretary and current Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis – the only two California Latinas on the Committee.

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