Two properties on Prospect avenue owned by Peoria Public School District 150 are being used for training by the Peoria Fire Department (PFD). The graphic below shows all the properties purchased by the district:

Of those properties, two are being used by the Peoria Fire Department: 2144 and 2208. In addition, 2126 was approved for fire department use, but was razed by the school district before the PFD got a chance to use it.

Fire Prevention Chief Greg Walters said he contacted District 150 when he heard the District was planning to raze three of the houses. He asked if the Fire Department could use them to conduct training, educate people on fire damaged property insurance tips and soon after such a positive request the District approved his request. “We have an excellent working relationship with District 150,” Walters said.

In a letter sent to District 150 Director Dave Ryon (Buildings, Grounds, and Maintenance) dated April 13, Chief Walters explained that the PFD would be using the houses for hands-on training:

We will simulate fire scenes and the activities involved without setting fire to the building or buildings. We will use theatrical smoke periodically to simulate real conditions inside the structures. This theatrical smoke is not harmful to the environment nor to any individuals who may breathe it. In addition, we will be breaching walls and performing ventilation operations on the roofs of these structures as needed.

Walters didn’t comment on the condition of the houses before the training started except to say that a stairwell was missing in one of the houses and that they were “safe structures” for conducting firefighter training. Buildings the City of Peoria has slated for demolition due to code violations are often in such bad shape that they’re not safe enough for indoor firefighter training. So the District’s houses, which are in good shape structurally, “were a godsend” for training purposes, Walters explained.

In addition to breaching walls, the training included cutting holes in the floors and simulating fire suppression and rapid intervention scenarios. However, no fire was set to the structures, and the PFD was not allowed to damage the exterior of the houses, “for aesthetic reasons.”

District 150 purchased the homes in April and May of 2006 as part of their ill-fated plan to build a school adjacent to Glen Oak Park. The Park Board declined to enter into a land-sharing agreement at the end of last year, effectively killing the project. The property at 2144 Prospect was purchased for $89,000 and 2208 Prospect was purchased for $133,500. The assessed value of each property at the time was $63,750 and $89,190, respectively.

While I am deeply concerned that the school board has squandered thousands of dollars by purchasing this property over market value and now razing some of it, I think the Fire Department is doing the right thing by taking the opportunity to use these properties for training purposes. It’s sort of like making lemonade when life gives you lemons. It’s a travesty that the school board has allowed the properties to come to this, but if the opportunity can be seized to allow our firefighters to practice their skills, at least some good can come out of a bad situation.

The two houses being used for firefighter training are pictured above. 2144 is on the left and 2208 is on the right, obscured by large trees in the front yard.