ANNAPOLIS, MD — Firemen enter the third floor of the 700 Building of Watergate Village in Annapolis during a simulated fire as part of a fire department training event at Watergate Village. The 608-unit multi-family property is owned by New York-based Castle Lanterra Properties (CLP), which acquired it earlier this year. The City of Annapolis, Anne Arundel County and U.S. Naval Academy Fire Departments are conducting the training at a currently vacant, 45-unit building that was damaged by fire two years ago and is currently undergoing renovations for re-occupancy.
“We were approached for this training effort and are very pleased to make this property available,” said Elie Rieder, founder of CLP. “We are happy to accommodate the critical needs of these departments as part of our commitment to the community.”
For the training, the building’s third floor was filled with simulated smoke and victims were placed in strategic locations. Firefighters dispatched to the scene quickly formulated a plan to mitigate the emergency from start to finish. Sessions were conducted twice daily from May 11 through May 14, with more deliberate task specific training scheduled on Friday, May 15.
“In the fire service, it is paramount to train as you work and work as you train,” said Capt. R. Svoboda of the City of Annapolis Fire Department. “The opportunity to train in the realistic environment that this building provided will pay dividends, should we ever have the unfortunate occurrence of responding to a fire in a building similar to this one.”
CLP is in the process of restoring and fully renovating the 45-unit building for rental occupancy, as part as a property wide plan to invest more than $12 million in capital improvements in the property, restoring and updating units with modern luxury finishes, and enhancing the common areas.