Driving into St. Helens on the South side of town yesterday, you couldn't help but notice the tall yellow frame rising into the sky at the training center grounds. Construction on the 6-story building began on Thursday with the placement of the steel frame. Division Chief Ron Youngberg told members of CRFR that, "From here on out, it appears that work will be progressing non-stop on the site." He also mentioned that the Tech Rescue Tower is scheduled for assembly beginning May 1st.

A great deal of activity at the Lee Broadbent Training Center will begin this week. The most notable being construction on the training tower will begin mid-week. The 6 story tower will be the main training facility on the center grounds and will allow firefighters to train in live fire.

The Specialized Multi-Agency Rescue Team (S.M.A.R.T.), made up of firefighters from Columbia River Fire & Rescue, employees from Boise Paper and the City of St. Helens, have spent the first few days of April training. One of the scenarios was a confined space rescue with extrication. Team members utilized the vertical tank at the training center to practice their rescue techniques.