Texas Border Business
Selene Rodriguez
South Texas College recently celebrated a ribbon-cutting ceremony to unveil its latest addition to the Regional Center for Public Safety Excellence in Pharr – a state-of-the-art, two-story residential fire training structure.
The first-of-its-kind in the Rio Grande Valley, the new facility features advanced fire training technology powered by liquid propane gas, a clean-burning fuel that will allow students and professional firefighters to train in a controlled, toxin-free environment.
“We’re extremely proud and excited to present this unique, one-of-a-kind facility that will provide safe training not only for our fire science students, but also for firefighters across the entire RGV,” said STC President Ricardo J. Solis, PhD. “This amazing achievement will support those who chose a career dedicated to keeping us safe.”
STC Trustee Paul Rodriguez added that it’s all about supporting the people STC serves in Hidalgo and Starr Counties, communities that will ultimately benefit from the vital training provided to first responders, with the hope that it will result in many saved lives.
Sara Lozano, STC dean for Business, Technology and Public Safety shared her sentiment and said this expansion ensures that local, state and federal agencies have the training resources they need.
“As we continue to expand and meet our region’s needs, we want to ensure that our first responders can benefit from our resources,” said Lozano. “That’s the vision of our Regional Center for Public Safety Excellence, to provide the best opportunities to build a safer community.”
As part of Phase II of STC’s Regional Center for Public Safety Excellence, which also includes a five-story training structure and a confined search and rescue area, the newest building has been a key element of a bigger vision since 2018.
Captain Pedro Bustamante from the Pharr Fire Department highlighted that the clean-burning aspect of this unique facility will reduce training times significantly, allowing for time savings on decontamination practices.
“We often assist STC’s Fire Academy, where many of our recruits attend, and having such an advanced training facility in our own backyard is definitely beneficial,” he noted. “This structure will benefit all departments, but particularly new students who will gain early experience with real fires. It’s a fantastic facility, and we’re eager to make use of it.”
With the ability to simulate hundreds of residential and commercial fire scenarios, the new facility includes a range of advanced equipment for training in forcible door entry and room ventilation, as well as simulations for kitchen fires, window fires, bedroom fires and a smoke simulation generator.
It also features many security measures that allow the training equipment to be fired up and turned off on command.
As one of the first students to use the new training structure, Joseph Gomez, an incoming senior at Mission Veterans High School and part of STC’s Dual Credit Fire Academy, emphasized how this facility will help them become better firefighters.
“It’s exciting. We’ve gotten the opportunity to witness how firefighters train out here, and I’m excited to experience it myself,” he said. “I just want to learn how to help people—that’s why I’m here. Whether it means assisting someone with their groceries or rescuing a family from a burning building, I just want to help. As students, we play a big role in this field, and I can’t wait to put on my gear and train for real-life scenarios.”
Robert Vela Jr., site administrator for STC’s Regional Center for Public Safety Excellence, highlighted that the new training equipment enhances the state-of-the-art infrastructure already in place, which includes a variety of advanced technologies such as car, dumpster and barbecue grill fire training props, along with thermal imaging and heat-resistant cameras, as well as heart rate monitor watches.
“For all training academies and professional firefighters, practicing what you learn in the classroom is crucial, and the best way to achieve this is through creating safe, realistic scenarios that simulate real-world conditions. This structure provides the closest experience possible to actual firefighting situations” he explained.
He added that the multipurpose building can also be used by law enforcement and emergency medical services.
“Even though the structure is primarily meant for firefighting, it’s truly multipurpose. It can also be used for building clearance, tactical training for police, hostage negotiations, and search and rescue,” he said. “These are just a few of the many uses for it. We’re excited to get started.”
For more information on STC’s Fire Science program and public safety training offered at STC’s Regional Center for Public Safety Excellence, visit southtexascollege.edu/rcpse/ or call 956-872-4208.
