JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A $4.5 million dollar implosion set for Sunday morning will take down the Old City Hall Annex.
Firefighters train for rubble rescues and the worse, but this experience will be one to learn from.
“Theoretically if everything goes well -- zero injuries, zero impact on the city,” Jacksonville Fire District Chief Robin Gainey said.
With over 30 years of experience fighting fires and running rescue operations, he says Sunday’s implosion is more of a training tool than anything else.
Crews made final preparations to the Old City Hall Annex and surrounding area Friday. The building once served as a JFRD training site that Gainey says gave firefighters experience in high-rise rescue techniques. He added he will be watching closely as the building comes down.
“Anytime you can watch a building collapse and you’re able to take and predict, it gives you insight into what can occur when we’re fighting a large building fire or if we have an incident where there’s an accident,” Gainey said.
That kind of knowledge helped during the 2007 collapse of a parking garage at the Berkman Plaza 2. Special Operation units scaled the rubble for rescues. That very team has been set to be on standby blocks away on Sunday. Gainey added as for the actual implosion, he’s confident in the preparations – ready if needed.
“Around town and around the country, these types of events are non-events for the fire department, I’m happy to say,” Gainey said.
Watch the implosion live Sunday, Jan. 20 on First Coast News and on the FCN app.