Alpha Fire Co. firefighters will not have to travel any more than 20 minutes for fire training because of a new $500,000 grant that will fund a training site at a closer, more convenient location.

The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) approved the grant Monday for the proposed Centre County Emergency Services training facility located in Spring Township along Harrison Road, which is scheduled to be finished July 2007.

Tim Schreffler, chairman of the fire and emergency services board of directors, said the need for the new site is based on various safety reasons.

"The emergency responders need to increase their abilities in order to perform dangerous tasks," he said. "Whether they are entering a burning building or a confined underground space, their skills need to be fine tuned."

Schreffler said State College or other municipal fire departments could travel anywhere for training based on availability of a fixed site. He added that the Alpha Fire Co., 400 W. Beaver Ave., typically travels to the Pennsylvania State Fire Academy in Lewistown, but there are also training sites in Bucks County and Allegheny County.

As a Penn State student and firefighter at the Alpha Fire Co., Michael Breen (senior-civil engineering) said the new site has "long been needed."

"It's good to be able to go out and do our run sessions and conduct firefighting drills on a weekly basis," he said.

The building will be specially designed for fire in a controlled environment, Breen said. He added that it would help the experience level of all the companies within Centre County.

"It never hurts to get more practice," Breen said.

The goal is for emergency services, including firefighters, emergency medical technicians and police officers, to use the building, Schreffler said.

He added that the new location is more convenient for Centre County departments because it would not require an overnight stay.

"It's centralized and won't disrupt an organization where they will spend a lot of time away," Schreffler said.

Tyrone Parham, assistant director of Penn State University Police, said although specific uses for the site have not been confirmed, university police find it ideal to use the facility for accurate training where they can simulate incidents and train people properly.

State Rep. Kerry Benninghoff, R-Bellefonte, said the project has been "in the process for too long," and he and state Rep. Lynn Herman, R-Centre, were eager to move forward with it.

"The grant came through at a good time ... it is a very timely project," he said.

Benninghoff added that the grant would be used to fund the design and construction of the roads, driveways and stormwater controls for the site.

Don Houser, spokesman for state Sen. Jake Corman, R-Centre, said Corman presented the Centre County Commissioners with a $750,000 grant last July to aid in the construction of the facility.

The new site will be located adjacent to the Central Pennsylvania Institute of Science and Technology (CPI) and will provide training to police forces, firefighters, emergency services and hazardous materials workers from across the state, Houser said. "This will help take the pressure off of the State Fire Academy in Lewistown and allow the state's many emergency services units to train in Centre County," he said.

Houser added that since the site would be close to CPI, students from the technical center would be able to go there and exercise "educational components in their curriculum."

Schreffler said a timeline was put together, and the first goal is to break ground in August, with the first phase of the site to be done by April 2007.