New Fire Tower, South Campus Renovations Unveiled

The new Fire Tower serves as a training facility for the College’s Fire Science program, as well as area firefighters and emergency personnel. It replaced the more than 30-year-old tower, formerly located on the College’s main campus. The fire tower includes a natural gas fire simulator and car fire simulator. Both simulators allow instructors to control every aspect of the fire and are designed to ensure students’ safety.

From San Juan College

June 15, 2021

With a celebratory ribbon cutting, San Juan College acknowledged the completion of the new Fire Tower construction and renovation of the College’s South Campus facility, located at 800 S. Hutton Rd., on June 15.

Along with the Fire Science Program, the South Campus is also home to the Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) Program. The new Fire Tower construction and facility renovation was completed in the fall of 2019, and a ribbon cutting was slated for the spring of 2020, but was unable to be held due to the pandemic.

Voter approved support of the 2015 local GO Bond funded the construction and renovation. This included $1.2 million dollars for the construction of the four-story, 4,606 square-feet fire tower and $800,000 for the renovation of the building, which houses both the Fire Science and Commercial Driver’s License programs. With $600,000 in funding provided by State of New Mexico Severance Tax Bond funds, San Juan County paved the 3.6 acre training lot.

The new Fire Tower serves as a training facility for the College’s Fire Science program, as well as area firefighters and emergency personnel. It replaced the more than 30-year-old tower, formerly located on the College’s main campus. The fire tower includes a natural gas fire simulator and car fire simulator. Both simulators allow instructors to control every aspect of the fire and are designed to ensure students’ safety. The Fire Science program trains approximately 80 new students per year, and serves between 30 to 40 firefighters in career development. Graduates entering a firefighting career can expect to earn an average annual salary of $45,000 to $50,000.

The South Campus also houses classrooms and a training facility for the CDL program. With a fleet of six tractor-trailers, a 71-passenger bus and a Class B straight truck, the CDL program trains approximately 170 students annually. Students also have the advantage of training in a CDL simulator. The average annual starting pay for CDL drivers ranges from $47,000 to $60,000.

“We are so excited to be able to offer programs of this caliber to our students and community,” says San Juan College President Dr. Toni Hopper Pendergrass. “I am proud of the high-quality training that our instructors provide for our students in these programs. We are extremely appreciative of our community’s support in helping to further develop this wonderful facility.”

Rodahl and Humell Architecture, P.C. provided design services for the facility, while Spellbring Construction Inc. built the Fire Tower. Winters Construction, LLC completed the renovation portion of the building, which included a new section of roof, exterior enhancements and new landscaping. Housed in the building are classrooms as well as a training bay utilized by both the Fire Science and CDL programs.

Following the ribbon cutting, attendees also had an opportunity to view fire safety demonstrations, the CDL simulator, and tour the College’s new Success Express, a mobile unit that provides computer access for students to apply for admission and financial aid, register for classes and complete the High School Equivalency Test (HiSET®).  A video recording of the event also will be available for viewing at sanjuancollege.edu or on the San Juan College Facebook page.