CARMEL — Hamilton County firefighters currently practice for indoor emergencies by lighting fires in old shipping containers. The county is in the process of developing a much more organized way to train.
Hamilton County is planning to build a public safety training center in Westfield for both police and fire departments to use for practice.
Tim Griffin of the Carmel Fire Department believes the project is necessary because of how much more dense Hamilton County has become.
"When you look at the amount of buildings that have grown and the changes of those buildings, we need to change with those times," Griffin said. "I know that this is going to save lives. This is going to save lives for the next 30 years."
Hamilton County would use $24 million of county tax increment financing from US 421 between 96th Street and 116th Street to buy bonds for the project.
Since the area was annexed by Carmel after the TIF district was established, the county needs Carmel City Council's permission to buy the bonds.
Councilor Rich Taylor sponsored the effort for approval, which easily passed a first reading before city council Monday night.
"What better use than taxpayer dollars than having the best trained police, fire, and emergency management professionals?" Taylor said.
Griffin estimates the county could break ground on the training center by this fall if all of the funding goes according to plan.
"This is the government building something that is going to protect its citizens and its public safety," Griffin said.
