This is an excerpt from a column posted at BizOpinion
Preparation is essential when it comes to responding to emergencies, but for those working in public safety it’s not easy to practice for disasters. A new training facility in the Fox Valley is looking to change that.
Fox Valley Technical College opened a state-of-the-art Public Safety Training Center adjacent to Outagamie County Regional Airport in Appleton earlier this year. The facility provides a place for integrative training for law enforcement, firefighters, paramedics, forensic investigators and wildland firefighters.
“This facility is not only unique in Wisconsin, but nationally,” says Aaron Tomlinson, dean of public safety for FVTC. “It brings together multiple disciplines in one location to train. Think about it: law enforcement don’t usually respond to an emergency alone and neither do paramedics. They all work together so it’s important for them to train together.”
The $34.5 million Public Safety Training Center sits on 80 acres of land and its construction was part of a $66.5 million referendum in 2012 that asked taxpayers in FVTC’s district to help pay for a variety projects.
An estimated 20,000 public safety professionals from around the world already use FVTC annually for their training and Tomlinson believes the new facility will increase the interest even more. FVTC is known nationally for its training programs on missing persons, AMBER Alerts, Internet crimes against children and human trafficking.
