HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Huntsville Fire & Rescue and the Huntsville Police Department are opening their new state-of-the-art Public Safety Training Academy at 5365 Triana Blvd. in Huntsville.
This expansive 58,000-square-foot facility features modern classrooms, a spacious multiuse auditorium, and specialized training and exercise rooms for both police and fire personnel. Additional amenities include indoor and outdoor kennels, as well as shower, laundry, and gear storage areas.
“The men and women who serve our community take an oath of office to put their lives on the line for our safety, and it's our responsibility to equip them with the highest quality training and resources,” said Mayor Tommy Battle. “It is important we make sure they have the tools necessary to protect and serve effectively, keeping our city safe and secure."
Whether it's going through a burning building or being involved in a high speed chase, preparation is crucial when it comes to being a police officer or firefighter. It's been a long process to build this process brick by brick. "We took a big board and sat down and started building buildings the best we could to scale out of Legos," said Huntsville Fire and Rescue Chief Mac McFarland.
Huntsville Police Chief Kirk Giles remembers what he had when he started in this business years ago. He said, "We had one classroom at the old airport and that's all we had."
This training site will only help officers and fire crews do their jobs more efficiently. McFarland says being prepared is a big part of the job. "Three words: Life or death. It is that crucial. We live or die by our training," said McFarland. When it comes to HFR's previous space, "We had a block building that had about five rooms in it, but it's one story and we could set fires in there and go in and put them out, but we couldn't change the interior. Once you memorized it, you had it.," said McFarland.
The new space allows for personnel to train in different rooms and simulations to help be ready for anything. The space will also be available for other fire and police teams to train and help their crews be better prepared.