A 2020 tornado that tore through Children’s Village, the onsite education building at Doylestown Hospital, rendered it unusable. But it temporarily gained a second life, still associated with learning, this summer.

The building became the site of several firefighter training sessions, providing an unbeatable setting for practicing life-saving tactics.

After the tornado, the ravaged building remained vacant as classes were relocated nearby.

As time passed for the abandoned location, the hospital’s chief human resource officer proposed the idea of its use for firefighter training. The brainstorm resulted partly from her son’s volunteer service with the Dublin Volunteer Fire Company.

Before long, Wednesday nights saw brigades from nearby fire stations using the Doylestown site to practice.

Common drills included the proper techniques for venting rooves and maneuvering hundreds of feet of hose through a structure.

“It’s rare to get an actual building for training,” said Dublin Volunteer Fire Co. Chief Kevin Nugent. “You can talk about these skills in the classroom, but to physically go do things is the best education.”

Jim Walter, Chief of the Hilltown Fire Company, agrees: “This type of building is awesome for us to get in,” he said.

The remnants of the original Children’s Village are set to be demolished this fall.

A new childhood education center will rise on its former footprint.