ALFRED — A new first responder training facility in York County years in the making is slowly opening its doors, with local leaders hopeful that it will simplify the onboarding process for new recruits.
The $24 million York County Regional Training Center in Alfred has been discussed for decades, though official work on the project began five years ago.
Roger Hooper, the director of the new center, said local first responders have dreamed of such a facility as far back as he can remember.
“The old-timers of the day talked about the need for a training center,” Hooper said from his new office in the training center. “So this has kind of been something that’s been on people’s minds for a long time.”
The project was funded by the American Rescue Plan Act, congressional appropriations, grants and county funds.
Construction on the building, located next to the York County Jail in Alfred, began in 2024. It contains, among other features, six classrooms, two hands-on learning labs for corrections and emergency medical services, and a drill hall.
Sanford Assistant Fire Chief Rick Smith said the center will solve a major problem for training new first responders: having to send trainees to different classes in different locations at different times, which Smith called a “convoluted mess.”
”The training center allows us to make a central hub for all training and development of new employees,” Smith said.
Hooper, who started working as the county fire administrator in 2019, smiled with a satisfied gleam in his eye when describing everything the center has to offer.
“We really did think of everything,” he said during a tour of the facility last week.
The facility features an EMS lab, complete with several state-of-the-art medical mannequins for training and an accurate ambulance model.
The backyard of the facility has more opportunities for hands-on training, including a drill tower where firefighters can train on real fires.
Fire departments in Maine and across the country are facing a shortage of recruits, and one cause identified by fire chiefs and experts is a scarcity of such live fire training facilities.
In the mid-2010s, stakeholders developed a plan to build 11 such facilities across the state so that 90% of Maine fire departments are within one hour of one. Through a state grant program, three have been built in Farmington, Fairfield and Yarmouth, and two more are slated for Bangor and Auburn.
The new York County facility can also function as an emergency logistics center, such as a family reunification point.
The training center works in collaboration with York County Community College, which provides assistance with some academic aspects of training and offers criminal justice courses at the facility.
“By combining YCCC’s academic expertise with the County’s investment in modern training facilities, we are creating clear, accessible pathways into high-demand careers that serve and protect our communities,” York County Community College President Michael Fischer said in a news release.
While an official opening day is planned for early spring, some classes have already begun.
Hooper remains hopeful that the center will open up a realm of possibilities for recruitment.
“I hope for this place to become the one stop for things like peer review, critical instance stress, and those issues that come with the job, the mental health aspects,” Hooper said. “I hope we can make this a place that we can help folks cope with that and get through that and really keep people on the job and keep people healthy, not only physically but mentally as well.”