State and county officials visited the site of Fayetteville Technical Community College’s Fayetteville campus and the construction site for FTCC’s Regional Fire & Rescue Training Center yesterday. 

In a presentation to the officials, Dr. Larry Keen, the president of FTCC, explained the first phase of the project and future plans for the center, which will be located off of Tom Starling Road. 

The center is part of a joint project between the college and the county on 30 acres of land. The construction is located within the county’s industrial park.  

A 24,000 square-foot building is being constructed in the first stage by Barnhill Contracting Company. It will include classrooms, a three-story “burn building” for live burn exercises, simulation labs, apparatus bays, offices, and a four-story training tower. 

Among the officials were Cumberland County legislators, commissioners and fire chiefs, the North Carolina insurance commissioner, the chief state fire marshal and the commander of the

State Highway Patrol.

FTCC currently provides fire and rescue training programs for Cumberland County and the region, and the new center is expected to have a broad reach with its specialized training.