Front page photo: Volunteer firefighters demonstrate how car fires are extinguished using training simulator at Fire Safety Training Building. Left: Cutting ribbon at the buidling are, from left, Freeholder Ralph Bakley, Freeholder Leonard Desiderio, Wildwood Fire Chief Conrad Johnson, Freeholder Director Daniel Beyel, Fire Marshal ALbert Beers, Freeholder Vice Director Ralph Sheets, Freeholder Gerald Thornton, Gary Schaffer, director, Public Safety Training Center. Photos by Harry B. Scheeler Jr.

CREST HAVEN -- Area firefighters joined for the dedication of the $1.3-million Cape May County Fire Safety Training Building on Tuesday, Oct. 14. The building is on the county Public Safety Training Center grounds on Crest Haven Road.

The building was dedicated to all county firefighters.

Freeholder Vice Director Ralph Sheets spoke about the grounds when he was a law enforcement officer in Wildwood in the 1950's. "It was just a field we worked to clear; we started with one small building and our goal was always something like this," he said.

Sheets went on to address the firefighters: "I am very proud of all of you. You may be volunteers, but you’re professionals, and I thank you all."

In Cape May County, there are over 1,200 firefighters with fewer than 100 of them paid. The rest are volunteers.

Fire Marshal Albert Beers was honored with recognition by the freeholders for his years of dedication to the county’s fire service and for his focus on education.

Public Safety Training Director Gary Schaffer talked about the training center’s humble beginnings with two trailers used for classrooms with no technology or bathrooms. Schaffer talked about the grants used to build the center and all the state-of-the-art technology they now possess.

"We truly are a public safety training center now," said Schaffer.

The new building is 6,250 square feet with 800 square feet for equipment truck bays, 980 square feet for a teaching bay, and has a 916-square-foot classroom.

The ceremony concluded with a demonstration of the state of the art fire car simulator. That simulator has a 180 square foot control center in the new building.