On Wednesday, January 18, Fire Chief Shane Edwards, Lt. Garin Flanders, Mayor Lester Miller, and Warren Selby of Warren Associates, Inc. rappelled down the brand-new Macon-Bibb County Fire Academy building. This was the beginning of the Hose Uncoupling Ceremony to officially open the new academy. You can watch it here.

“This is an exciting day, and we are so thankful for all of the people who have made this possible,” said Chief Edwards. “Our state-of-the-art Fire Training Center is complete and ready to train the best firefighters and keep our community safe.” 

Dozens of firefighters, retirees, County leaders, and community leaders were there to see the new facility at 5520 Tinker Drive. 

“This has been a long time coming. We are ready to train the best of the best. We stand on the shoulders of those who came before,” said Mayor Miller. “Thank you to those did so much to protect our community, some of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice. We will not forget you.” 

Construction on the $3.2 million dollar facility began in May 2022. $2.8 million of the cost is coming from the voter-approved Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST), and the remainder was set aside from the County’s general fund. This new facility was carefully chosen and designed after the Chief, County Manager, and firefighters traveled to different centers across the country to make sure our firefighters were getting exactly what they needed. 

The Department held a Topping Out Ceremony in September to place the last beam for construction where several firefighters and community members signed the final beam placed in the facility. A Groundbreaking Ceremony was held on May 19, 2022.