Glasgow Fire Chief Bobby Bunnell is getting the opportunity to showcase his department’s new training facility to the state fire commission and chiefs from several other departments from across Kentucky.

The Kentucky Fire Commission will have its monthly meeting Thursday at the Glasgow Fire Department Training Center at 121 Beaver Trail.

Bunnell, a commission member, has been preparing for the meeting for several weeks and said it is the first time since he has been a member of the GFD in 20 years that the fire commission has held such a gathering in Glasgow.

“It’s nice to be able to show off a little bit,” he said.

Funding for the training center, which was completed earlier this year, came from the commission. Fire Commission Executive Director Ronnie Bay said many of the members are seeing the training center for the first time at the meeting.

“This facility is special,” he said. “And the commission likes to see how their money is being spent, so I think they will enjoy this.”

Bay and Maysville Fire Chief Eric Bach arrived in Glasgow on Wednesday afternoon for a tour of the facility. Bay was present for the 125 year celebration of the Glasgow Fire Department in August, but this marks the first time for Bach to see the new GFD training facility in person. He said he was impressed with the training tower and the collective effort to help build it.

“It sounds like there was more of a community effort, it wasn’t just the Glasgow Fire Department. You can’t beat that for a small town,” he said. “For a community of this size to have a tower and a classroom, it’s a big advantage.”

The gathering will have most of the 19 members of the KFC present in addition to several chiefs from across the state, Bunnell said. Members of the commission are appointed by the governor and represent a variety of fire department positions, including paid and volunteer chiefs, paid and volunteer firefighters, fire marshals and a board of advisers, among others. The meeting will consist of several committee meetings, but it also provides a way for attendees to share ideas and information from their communities. The Glasgow Fire Department will provide a grilled lunch for attendees.

Bay said one of the primary items on the agenda for the meeting is the announcement that the KFC is receiving a grant from the Department of Homeland Security to test new equipment, which he said is a “great shot in the arm” for Kentucky.

“It’s a $5 million grant to start testing technology and equipment for emergency services. We will be able to pay first responders to come in and test these things. Data collectors in Washington, D.C., will process that information and it will be published nationally saying these results come from the recommendation of the state of Kentucky.”

Most of the commission’s meetings are held at its headquarters in Versailles, but Bay and Bunnell said the commission likes to be able to move some meetings around the state in order to be close to some members and chiefs who may not otherwise be able to attend.