Amador County – Jackson Fire Department received approval Tuesday from Amador County Board of Supervisors to conduct live fire exercises and demolish a county-owned building at 208 Court Street.

Supervisors made the approval but wanted every effort possible to notify neighbors of the mid-December plan to burn the building, a former office of Amador County Probation Department.

General Service Administration Director John Hopkins said asbestos removal will still occur once the structure was burned. Jackson Fire Chief Marc Crain said the, training Captain Rick Clark, and another firefighter would go door-to-door over two Saturdays in a two-block radius to notify neighbors of the planned training burn, set for Dec. 17. He said it would be contingent on the weather of the day, including wind, so smoke would not go into the neighborhood.

It would amount to a dark column of smoke for several hours, and fires would be set to burn the building in on itself. He said: “If we don’t get ideal weather, we won’t do it.”

Supervisor Ted Novelli said “we need to do everything possible to make sure everybody is notified,” including churches. “If we miss one, we’re in trouble.” Supervisor Louis Boitano said the Admin Committee should also meet at the site and look at the conditions of buildings on either side of 208 Court Street also owned by the county. Hopkins said a previous Board of Supervisors had approved demolition of all three structures, but neighbors did not want the structures burned. He said two of the buildings are worth refurbishing for historic value.

Supervisor Chairman John Plasse asked that the door-to-door outreach include a brief description of county plans to remodel the property, to allay people’s fears, and assure them the county is not going to level the whole block. Plasse said the plan was to demolish 208 Court, to create parking or another use, and restore the other two buildings.

Clark said the “Fire Control 3-A” class will invite local agency personnel, and could get people from all over the state to come. He said the training will fall over three days, with a lecture, hands-on skill building, and full-gear exercises in a smoke-filled house (with burn barrels), all which would not affect neighbors. The next weekend would be the building burning. He said live burning allows training in forcible entry and ventilation. They will also teach how to stop multiple houses from burning.

Crain said he still needed Jackson City Council’s blessing on the project.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.