Congressman visits Rock Falls Fire Department, talks funding for training facility
ROCK FALLS – The U.S. House of Representatives is set to consider helping fund a training center for the Rock Falls and Sterling fire departments to the tune of $825,000 when it returns to session next month.
“As a trusted neighbor in Congress, my responsibility is to prepare Rock Falls for what’s ahead,” U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen, D-Rockford, said during a Friday, Aug. 9, visit to Rock Falls. “Part of that means making sure that we have the right tools, the proper training to do our jobs and be ready to face any challenge in front of us. When I learned that the Rock Falls Fire Department needed a new training tower, I worked with the department and with other local elected officials to put forth a $1.5 million request with Congress to get that done.”
Sorensen requested the funding as part of the fiscal 2025 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act
U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen (right), D-Rockford, and Sterling Fire Department Capt. Clark Liedberg listen Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, at the Rock Falls Fire Department as Rock Falls Deputy Fire Chief Kyle Sommers talks about the training center the two fire departments plan to build. Sorensen is requesting $1.5 million in federal funding to go toward the project. (Alexa Zoellner/Shaw Media)
On July 10, the U.S. House Appropriations Committee voted 29-26 to approve the bill. Among its Community Project Funding appropriations was $825,000 for the Rock Falls Fire Department to build a burn tower, where firefighters from around the area can train in live-fire conditions.
The appropriations bill still must go through votes in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate and then be signed into law before funds are distributed.
Sorensen said he plans to try to have the remaining $675,000 of his request approved next year.
“The training tower will not only be used by the Rock Falls Fire Department but will also be used by neighboring departments across the entire region so they can be prepared and ready for anything,” Sorensen said.
The training facility will be located on 5 acres on Beltway Drive in Rock Falls’ industrial park. The city of Rock Falls owns the vacant land and has allocated it for the facility.