The Douglas County Fire Training Complex will graduate its first class of 10 rookies Dec. 3 in a public ceremony, followed by an open house and tours of the new facility.

Fire Chief Scott Spencer revealed plans for the new center at his speech to the regular noon Monday meeting of the Rotary Club of Douglas County.

“The training complex is located on Wortham Road, near the county’s firing range,” Spencer said. “It has a four-story training tower to simulate tall building rescue and a two-story burn building where fire fighters work with live fire.”

The facility also includes a confidence trailer, a crawl-through facility to help firefighters learn to work in tight spaces and four outdoor burn props including a dumpster, automobile, LP tank and flammable liquid pit. The grounds also contain a roof climbing facility, classrooms, restrooms and showers.

“We planned to have an open house on Sept. 24, but it was cancelled due to the floods,” Spencer said. “We’ll have a formal dedication in the spring.”

He said the county’s fire/EMS department has 166 employees, and they provide many services to the county.

“All EMTs (emergency medical technicians) are required to be fire fighters, and about 80 percent of the fire fighters are cross trained as EMTs,” Spencer said.

He praised the employees for making more than 100 rescues during the September flooding.

“They went well beyond the call of duty to make more than 100 rescues,” Spencer said.

He said the training complex was built with funds from the 2002 special purpose local option sales tax (SPLOST). These SPLOST funds also recently bought an air and light truck for the department, he added. This truck will fill air bottles for fire fighters’ breathing apparatus and provide high intensity light to illuminate fire and accident scenes.

The fire department also provides fire safety education, fire investigations and logistical support for the Georgia Search and Rescue unit.

Spencer joined the fire department in 1977 after graduating from Lithia Springs High School. He rose through the ranks of lieutenant, captain and division chief. He was named fire chief in September. 1997.

He holds an associate degree in fire science from DeKalb College and a bachelor’s degree in management from Shorter College in Rome. He also holds the title of executive fire officer from the National Fire Academy.

Spencer lives in the Beulah community with his wife of 23 years, the former Debbie Nicholson, and their daughter, Nicole, 17.