The Vantage Pointe building in Downtown San Diego has not yet succeeded as a condo project. The building is now being used for an entirely different purpose.
If a fire breaks out on the 30th floor of a high rise, area firefighters need to be trained in how to deal with it. A condo complex full of residents is no place to practice. But the tough economy has presented an opportunity. The Vantage Pointe building at 10th Avenue and A Street in Downtown San Diego has been turned into an apartment complex and is largely vacant.
Now the San Diego Fire and Rescue Department is sponsoring a series of training seminars at the building. Captain James Gaboury said it’s crucial for firefighters to know how to handle high rise fires.
“High Rise incidents are what we call low frequency, high risk events. We don’t have them very often. But when we do have them they’re extremely dangerous,” he said.
Firefighters from around the region are taking part in the training session. Gaboury said if a high rise fire occurs it will take multiple departments to fight it.
“If we do actually have an incident, we’re going to be requiring most of those folks from outside the city to assist on any type of these incidents,” he said.
Gaboury said Vantage Pointe is the perfect training site because it’s tall enough and has all of the latest safety upgrades.
