Old Geneva farmhouse doesn’t sell – even for $1 – so firefighters will burn it for training

GENEVA – An old farmhouse that Geneva officials could not sell for $1 – if you could move it – in 2019 will now serve a new purpose: It will be burned so firefighters can participate in live fire training.

The training will go from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day Friday to Sunday, June 10-12 at 64 Peck Road on the city’s west side, officials announced in a news release.

The city owns the home and property.

At a September 2019 meeting, aldermen said they hoped that someone would buy the wood frame, single-family house and relocate it.

But if that didn’t happen – and it didn’t – then it would be considered for firefighters to use it for practice, which is what will occur.

The site is currently being prepared and rendered safe for live fire training, the release stated.

“The Fire Department has identified the farmhouse as an ideal location for a practice burn,” City Administrator Stephanie Dawkins had said at a May 2 Committee of the Whole meeting. “After their burn, a contractor will remove the remains of the house, demolish and remove the foundation, backfill and restore the site.”

Dawkins had said the meeting that getting to the point of having the farmhouse become a practice fire training “has been a very long process.”

“Pre-COVID, just getting things ready, disconnecting services – and so it’s nice to see things moving along,” Dawkins said. “The controlled burn does require the Fire Department to get permits from the IEPA (Illinois Environmental Protection Agency), so there are things that they have to follow.”

The property also has a barn, but Dawkins said they were focusing on the house.

“There was a question whether the barn could be saved. I did approach – way back in 2018 or 19 – the Park District. They were not interested in using the barn,” Dawkins said. “We’re right now, just taking care of the house structure. And then we can work on what we want to do with the other structure.”

Dawkins said the city did put the house out for bid in 2019 and received no bids.

Aldermen at the May 16 City Council meeting gave final approval to a contract for $33,848 with F.Hl Paschen, S.N. Nielsen & Associates LLC for the removal of the farmhouse after the burn exercise.

During the three-day fire training period, the Fire Department will conduct 15 to 20 training fire evolutions to hone firefighters’ interior and exterior firefighting skills. These skills include interior attack, vertical and horizontal ventilation, civilian and firefighter rescue as well as command level exercises.

Live training exercises, such as this, are extraordinarily important for Geneva firefighters to develop and maintain their skill sets, the release stated.

Residents near the training site can expect minimal disruption to their normal activities. For the majority of the training period, all fire vehicles and equipment will be located on the site, and minimal smoke will be generated.

On June 12, the home will be used to practice defensive firefighting techniques that will result in the residence being burned down to the ground within two hours in the mid to late afternoon. The burn down will generate smoke and flames proportionate to a structure fire, the release stated.

The Fire Department will notify surrounding property owners of the live training the week of June 6.

The last time Geneva firefighters participated in a practice burn was in December 2018 17-19 Richards St., the future site of the Hamilton Place mixed-use residential and commercial development.

More information about the training is available by calling Geneva Fire Chief Mike Antenore at 630-232-2530.