Huntsville’s Public Safety Training Academy provides state-of-the-art training for public safety departments
As cities grow, so must their police and fire departments. This was the case for Huntsville, Ala. The city realized the need for a new building and training academy for the police and fire departments to ensure public safety officials had the space necessary to train and work. Following this realization, it took a few years to make it a reality. Now the city has access to state-of-the-art training with the ability for expansion if needed later on.
“As the city of Huntsville has grown and developed, so have the police and fire department academies, relocating multiple times throughout the departments’ history,” Sgt. Chris Jackson, Huntsville Police Department public information officer, mentioned. “Most recently, they operated out of an old high school set for demolition. A facility that was never designed to meet the needs of modern training programs.”
The city and community worked together to make a new facility a reality to meet the needs of public safety departments. They invested in a new training facility with plenty of acreage to make any needs for future expansion possible.
“This dedicated facility not only fulfills the city’s shared vision of having the best public safety departments in the world but also saves taxpayer dollars by allowing all training to be conducted in-house,” he stressed. “Previously, recruits had to be sent elsewhere for specialized training, such as driving courses, but the new facility now provides the resources necessary to train our personnel locally, enhancing efficiency and preparedness.”
In order to prepare for this new facility, the city held a competitive bid process, and then the construction contract was awarded. The city completed the project in two phases. The first phase consisted of construction of the main building, which houses classrooms and offices. Meanwhile, the second phase focused on the exterior training areas. These areas include a physical training field with a quarter-mile running track for training and applicant testing, defensive driving pad, canine training area and a variety of fire department training structures.
There was a close collaboration between the Huntsville general services department, contractor, and police and fire departments to ensure the facility and training areas met the needs of both the departments’ training programs. Funding for the project was through the city’s 1990 capital improvement plan. Total cost for both phases of the project was $32.8 million. The project took several years, with some delays because of weather and material availability.
This new training facility not only helps the public safety departments have access to state-of-the-art training right in their own city, but also provides the community with greater public safety and helps keep taxes lower.
“It reduces taxpayer costs by eliminating the need for costly travel to specialized training, such as police driving courses and fire rappelling rescue operations,” Jackson described. “It enhances the overall training of public safety officials benefiting the entire community. By conducting advanced training locally, we provide the highest quality programs to public safety personnel across the region, ultimately contributing to a safer community. The facility allows us to host training courses for our departments and agencies nationwide. With multiple classrooms, we can conduct courses while an academy class is in session, ensuring continuous education for our personnel. Hosting courses open to other departments strengthens interagency collaboration and fosters essential relationships that are critical during crisis situations.”
The construction of this new facility showed the city’s dedication to its public safety departments and was a large morale boost to the departments.
“For years we have been searching for a place that feels like home, where we could conduct all training in-house and host more advanced training. We now have the space to host continuing education courses during an academy session for cadets, something we have never been able to do before,” Jackson emphasized. “We can now host outside agency training, further strengthening professional networks and training opportunities. This community sees this facility as a shared commitment to public safety excellence and recognizes the city’s investment in providing the best safety services possible.”
For any other cities considering investing in a similar facility for their public safety departments, the most important thing is to have the support of the entire city, from the community served to the city council and mayor’s office. “Building a vision for the best public servants starts with strong community relationships and recognizing that, without public support, success is impossible,” Jackson stressed. “The best advice I can offer to other agencies is to plan not only for current needs but also for future expansion. To ensure cost effectiveness, a facility must be designed with the flexibility to grow alongside the city, especially in rapidly expanding communities like Huntsville.”
Construction of the facility was done in two phases. The first phase was the main building. The second phase was for exterior training areas. These include a quarter mile running track, defensive driving pad, canine training area and multiple training structures for the fire department. Total cost of the project was $32.8 million. (Photo provided by the city of Huntsville, Ala.) As the city of Huntsville, Ala., continues to grow, the city realized their need for a better training academy for public safety departments needed to grow also. Working together the city and community were able to fund and build a brand-new training academy with the possibility for future expansion. (Photo provided by the city of Huntsville, Ala.) Now all training, including specialized training, can be done locally at the new training academy. This saves taxpayer dollars. It also allows the city to host training for other departments throughout the nation while still providing academy training. (Photo provided by the city of Huntsville, Ala.)
