The City of Carlsbad has marked the completion of a new Safety Training Center that will allow city police, fire, utility workers and other first responders local access to important emergency training.
The new City of Carlsbad Safety Training Center, which had a ribbon-cutting ceremony last month, is on Orion Street, across from the Public Safety and Services Center, which serves as the city's police and fire headquarters. The $16.5 million project was approved by voters in 2002 and broke ground in March 2010.
Designed to provide a wide variety of realistic training scenarios, the Safety Training Center consists of a five-story commercial style tower, a two story "house," two indoor shooting ranges, a streetscape and classroom space.
The commercial tower can simulate a hotel, apartment building and a live-work space. Inside it has movable walls and even mock elevator doors so firefighters can practice forcing them open. Natural gas-fed burners will provide real flames, and smoke machines will emit not real smoke, but an environmentally safe alternative. To firefighters practicing rescues, however, it will look and feel very real. Police will also use the tower for tactical training.
The imitation house, which has a backyard with a fence, a garage and cul-de-sac like entrance, will allow emergency crews to train for fires, police calls and other emergencies.
Carlsbad Police Capt. Bill Rowland, who oversaw the project for the Police Department, said that it's gratifying to watch the dream of a training center for all the city's first responders become a reality.
"Just about anything we can run into in the real world, we'll have the ability to re-create here in these buildings," Rowland said.
Rowland noted that the buildings will have simulated storefronts to resemble a real street and an area where police officers can re-enact actual events that have occurred in the field, to apply lessons learned from past experiences.
The shooting ranges?one 100 yards long and another 25 yards long? aren't designed solely for target practice but will have computer-activated moving props so officers can work through tactical situations similar to those that they face in the field. The shooting ranges are for law enforcement training only and will not be open to the public.
Another training feature is underground pipes, similar to actual storm drains, where police, fire and the city's utilities personnel can practice underground rescues.
"I am excited our firefighters, police officers, civilian employees and volunteers will soon train in the best of settings," said Carlsbad Fire Battalion Chief Mike Lopez, who oversaw the project for the Fire Department. "Our employees benefit from the highest quality of training, and so does the community."
The City of Carlsbad has an excellent public safety record with low crime rates and one of the top-rated fire departments in the state. In the past, City of Carlsbad police and fire personnel had to travel to other parts of the region and even the state to complete needed training.
Ledcor Construction Inc. of San Diego served as the project's general contractor.
? Source: City of Carlsbad
The new City of Carlsbad Safety Training Center, which had a ribbon-cutting ceremony last month, is on Orion Street, across from the Public Safety and Services Center, which serves as the city's police and fire headquarters. The $16.5 million project was approved by voters in 2002 and broke ground in March 2010.
Designed to provide a wide variety of realistic training scenarios, the Safety Training Center consists of a five-story commercial style tower, a two story "house," two indoor shooting ranges, a streetscape and classroom space.
The commercial tower can simulate a hotel, apartment building and a live-work space. Inside it has movable walls and even mock elevator doors so firefighters can practice forcing them open. Natural gas-fed burners will provide real flames, and smoke machines will emit not real smoke, but an environmentally safe alternative. To firefighters practicing rescues, however, it will look and feel very real. Police will also use the tower for tactical training.
The imitation house, which has a backyard with a fence, a garage and cul-de-sac like entrance, will allow emergency crews to train for fires, police calls and other emergencies.
Carlsbad Police Capt. Bill Rowland, who oversaw the project for the Police Department, said that it's gratifying to watch the dream of a training center for all the city's first responders become a reality.
"Just about anything we can run into in the real world, we'll have the ability to re-create here in these buildings," Rowland said.
Rowland noted that the buildings will have simulated storefronts to resemble a real street and an area where police officers can re-enact actual events that have occurred in the field, to apply lessons learned from past experiences.
The shooting ranges?one 100 yards long and another 25 yards long? aren't designed solely for target practice but will have computer-activated moving props so officers can work through tactical situations similar to those that they face in the field. The shooting ranges are for law enforcement training only and will not be open to the public.
Another training feature is underground pipes, similar to actual storm drains, where police, fire and the city's utilities personnel can practice underground rescues.
"I am excited our firefighters, police officers, civilian employees and volunteers will soon train in the best of settings," said Carlsbad Fire Battalion Chief Mike Lopez, who oversaw the project for the Fire Department. "Our employees benefit from the highest quality of training, and so does the community."
The City of Carlsbad has an excellent public safety record with low crime rates and one of the top-rated fire departments in the state. In the past, City of Carlsbad police and fire personnel had to travel to other parts of the region and even the state to complete needed training.
Ledcor Construction Inc. of San Diego served as the project's general contractor.
? Source: City of Carlsbad