RANCHO CORDOVA, CA (MPG) – The approaching summer in California means to government officials and first responders that a potential season of large fires and large-scale disasters lies just ahead. Which is why Assemblymember Ken Cooley and Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District announced at a press conference on Friday, April 15, a request for funding for the expansion of the Zinfandel First Responder Training Facility on 3801 Zinfandel Drive in Rancho Cordova, CA.

Approval would authorize that building at the existing training facility could commence Phase 3 of the development of the 53-acre site, purchased by Sac Metro Fire in 2008"'approximately 2.7 miles from their headquarters.

Earlier in the year, on March 30, 2022, Cooley submitted a one-time state funding request for $44 million to begin construction at the Zinfandel First Responder Training Facility in order to make it a “central hub” and help increase the resiliency of trainees. Cooley said the proposal, which is expected to be voted on in June of this year, has “strong bi-partisan support… [including] the Governor who encounters large-scale disasters in his watch.”

Assemblymember Cooley wrote in a letter submitted to the Assembly Budget Subcommittee, “The unprecedented demands currently placed on emergency responders, combined with the lack of adequate training facilities, are increasing the risks faced by local first responders.”

“This facility will facilitate joint training in firefighting, urban search and rescue, and mutual aid coordination, including enhanced skills in interoperability of fire equipment, by Northern California fire agency personnel,” added the office of the assemblymember.

According to Sac Metro Fire Chief Todd Harms, the property signaled for the increased development, located adjacent to Mather Airport in Sacramento County, is strategically placed at a good junction near the intersections of Highways 50, 99 and Interstates 5 and 80 and “is a perfect location for resources to be staged for anything on the northern side of California.”

Assemblymember Cooley wrote in his letter, “The training facility would be available to public safety agencies in the Sacramento region and throughout Northern California… The size and scale of the facility, after the completion of Phase 3, will accommodate large scale multi-agency and multidisciplinary coordinated training, which is not possible with existing facilities in the region.”

Specifically, the funding would go to commence construction by adding: A) 40,000-50,000 square foot multi-purpose Administration/Classroom/Staging Building; B) 1,000 square foot Outdoor Classroom/Storage/Restroom/Decontamination Structure; C) 4-acre Emergency Vehicle Operations Course (EVOC); D) Multi-Story Training Tower.

For more information contact the Office of Assemblymember Ken Cooley at (916) 3139-2008 visit a08.asmdc.org/ or visit metrofire.ca.gov/