Firefighters need specialized training so they can appropriately respond to a wide range of emergencies, such as ice, water, machine and rope rescues.
That applies to firefighters in Bartholomew County and everywhere else.
The good news is that local and regional firefighters soon will be able to receive such crucial training here in the city. Ground broke March 27 on the Columbus Public Safety Training Facility, a planned 12,000-square-foot building on the east end of Verhulst Street, on the Columbus Municipal Airport Airpark campus.
According to the construction timeline, the building’s shell could be completed by mid to late summer, and the facility ready by the fall. When completed, it will be one of the larger regional training sites.
It will include classrooms and indoor training areas, and be located next to other first responder training structures, including a tower and roof-climbing simulation structure.
Training will be available for firefighters, paramedics and safety officials from the public and private sectors. Offering the training facility’s use to more than just local first responders will allow for rental fees to be charged, which will eventually recoup the city’s initial $274,000 investment.
The public safety training site is a feather in the cap for Columbus and a great idea by Columbus Fire Chief Mike Compton. He proposed the concept of a local training facility during his 2015 interview for the job of chief.
The soundness of his idea was confirmed by first responders in southern Indiana who said they were routinely traveling to Indianapolis, northern Indiana or Louisville, Kentucky, for training.
Having the public safety facility in Columbus will provide a one-stop location for training that can be accessed conveniently. It will bring a lot of first responders here for training and raise the city’s profile in the public safety industry.
That’s a winning combination for the city, southern Indiana and public safety personnel.
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