Firefighters To Conduct Training At Vacant Doylestown Building

DOYLESTOWN, PA — From now through mid-January, the Doylestown Fire Company is using a vacant building on West State Street and North Franklin Street for training and drills.

Crews will be at the building today (Jan. 7) conducting training exercises and using a fog machine to create a decreased visilibilty siutation for realistic training. The smoke produced by the fog machine is non-hazardous, the fire company said.

During the training, drivers and pedestrians are urged to use caution in the area of West State Street and Franklin Street.

The volunteer firefighters have been granted access to conduct training exercises at 161 West State Street, the former site of Striker Soccer Supplies. The building is slated for demolition this year to make way for a new retail building.

"You will see fire apparatus in the area, at times, through mid-January," the fire company posted on Facebook. "We appreciate the chance to train in 'acquired structures' as they present opportunities for good scenario-based situations."

Worth & Worth, which owns the property, received plan approval in the fall from the Doylestown Borough Council to demolish the former soccer supplies store, a former auto parts store next door and a detached house and garage at West State and Franklin streets.

The buildings will be replaced by a 5,459-square-foot building that will house boutique retail and office space and will front on West State Street.