SAMPLE MEDIA COVERAGE: 
Post-Crescent 

Fox Valley Technical College's new Public Safety Training Center (PSTC) is a premiere national facility designed to bring out the best in those who respond to emergencies and protect our communities.

After several years of leading the nation in training related to AMBER Alert, Internet Crimes Against Children, missing persons, human trafficking, and other specialized law enforcement disciplines, the ideal next step for Fox Valley Technical College was to integrate several key providers of public safety to train together.

Area public safety professionals got the first chance to see the new facility at a recent open house (see photo gallery below).

The PSTC, located on the south side of the Outagamie County Regional Airport, will enhance both preventative and emergency response best practices in a post 9/11 era. The $35 million facility is the centerpiece e project from the passage of a 2012 public referendum that advanced several facility expansion initiatives for FVTC to address workforce needs. View video >> 

Grand Chute, Wisconsin Police Chief Greg Peterson says criminals are finding new ways to commit crimes each day.  "It is vitally important that public safety officials, investigators, and first responders work more closely than ever to combat criminal behavior," he says. "Fox Valley Technical College is already taking charge of bringing these fields together to make communities even safer." 

The PSTC will officially open in January 2015. Here is a snapshot of this high-tech training facility:

• 75 acres of indoor and outdoor tactical training space filled with innovative props and simulation experiences to enhance training in law enforcement, firefighting, emergency medical services, forensic science, and wildland fire
• A 30+ foot ‘ant hill’ for confined space drills
• A 6-story burn tower for fire training and four firearms ranges for police training, including one that is 300 yards
• River City, a simulated training village with a motel, homes, and convenience store, provides scenarios that simultaneously involve police, firefighters, and emergency medical service personnel.
• Everything from emergency response training to other related crisis scenarios will be taking place on a Boeing 727 aircraft, donated by FedEx.
• Three large train cars, dispersed in various positions, present a derailment that requires specialized, multi-disciplinary responders.
• Other areas include a spacious fire apparatus training bay, an expanded Emergency Vehicle Operator Course, a water rescue pond, and much more.

The new facility will open in its entirety in January 2015 to also serve FVTC degree-seeking students, in addition to existing public safety practitioners from around the nation for both continuous education and specialized training. 
 

SAMPLE MEDIA COVERAGE: Post-Crescent