Madison College public safety officers test camera

From host.madison.com: “Smile! Local officers testing body camera” — Officers at Madison Area Technical College are checking out a new piece of equipment that could help in gathering evidence, right from an officer’s shoulder.

The new gadget is a video camera that can be clipped onto a shoulder or other parts of an officer’s uniform.

“The portable cameras can be switched on when an officer faces a possible confrontation,” the college said in a news release.

The evidence caught by camera could help in crime detection, prevention and prosecution, the release said.

Lakeshore Tech offers active shooter, workplace violence seminars

From shoeboyganpress.com: “LTC offers active shooter, workplace violence seminars” — Lakeshore Technical College is offering seminars intended to help the public respond to incidents of school or workplace violence. Seminars will be held Oct. 16 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and Nov. 14 from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. on the Cleveland campus in the Public Safety building.

The seminar will address school and workplace violence, with a major emphasis on the active shooter. Participants will learn how to respond to threats, what to expect from law enforcement’s response, what to teach children about the immediate actions to take when confronted by an active shooter and what plans businesses and citizens should have in place in case an incident occurs.

The seminar is designed for everyone, especially parents and those in the business and school community, according to a news release.

Instructor Jason Wilterdink, who has 15 years of experience as a law enforcement officer, is a full-time instructor at LTC, a master instructor in use of force and is certified by several organizations as a firearms instructor. He also has served as an instructor and expert witness in self-defense, training, safety, security, health, wellness and fitness.

Wilterdink also served in an international police mission for the United Nations where he served in Liberia as the team leader for the crowd control team and lead instructor for physical security, operational security and civil unrest in accordance with UN Security Council resolution 1509.

The cost of the seminar is $89. To register by phone with credit card, call 888-468-6582, ext. 1366.

 

Fox Valley Tech experts to review storm response

From wbay.com: “Fox Valley Tech Chosen to Review Outagamie County Storm Response” — A panel of experts at Fox Valley Technical College will conduct an independent review of Outagamie County’s August 7th storm response. A professional meteorologists will also be part of the review.

The sirens were silent as a severe storm tore across the county and spawned a number of tornadoes in the early morning hours of August 7th. The county Public Service Committee discussed possible discipline for the county’s Emergency Management director, Julie Loeffelholz.

In her defense, Loeffelholz says the National Weather Service never issued a tornado warning and no trained personnel or weather spotters reported tornadoes, but even if they had, she couldn’t have activated sirens because power was knocked out to the communications tower to signal them and the backup system she requested won’t be purchased and installed until 2014.

Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson requested an independent review, and put Outagamie Corporation Counsel Joe Guidote in charge of organizing the review panel.

Guidote says he chose FVTC “because of its expertise in public safety and emergency management training.” He says the panel will include people with credentials in law enforcement, and meteorology.

Firefighters gain valuable training experience

From wsaw.com: “Firefighters Gain Valuable Training Experience” — A car flips over and the driver can only be rescued by being extricated through the trunk.

 

A disabled man needs to be rescued from a burning building.

 

These are all frightening scenarios, but fortunately this is only a drill,and the victims are only plastic mannequins.

Saturday fire crews were able to practice for when these situations could become reality.

“We can accommodate police, fire, EMS, and a whole host of other public opportunities. You can’t get any other hands on training in this area.” says Fire Training director Doug Jennings.

You can’t learn how to fight fires and save lives just through reading a textbook, so that is why Northcentral Technical College hosted Advanced Skill Training Day. It is a way for rescue crews to be able to prepare for the worst.

“This facility up here is great for facilitating hands-on scenarios. Today they aren’t talking about cutting cars, they are actually cutting cars in difficult positions.” Jennings says.

The event was a great way for N.T.C to showcase their brand new training center. After the original one was destroyed, they have been able to get the latest technology.

“Our public safety center was demolished in the tornado a few years ago. We were able to rebuild this complex out here with the help of our president to a fantastic facility.” says Jennings.

Now they are able to provide firefighters a way to practice for the worst, all while learning from each other.

Western Tech, UWL offer ‘Active Shooter’ training

From wxow.com: “‘Active shooter’ training underway at UWL” — The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and Western Technical College are teaming up this week to help first responders prepare for possible emergencies.

The “active shooter” training began Monday and runs through Thursday.

Kellie McElroy, Western’s law enforcement academy director, said UWL holds yearly, active shooter exercises. But she said this is the first year Western, which holds various tactical training classes of its own, is participating in UWL’s drills.

“Getting training for all the different public safety entities… that’s not something we get to do very often,” she said.

Law enforcement and emergency response officials from as far as Dane County are taking part in this week’s drills at UWL. Although McElroy said the bulk of the departments are from the Western Technical College area — covering La Crosse, Monroe, Jackson, Trempealeau and Vernon Counties.

Muddy Boots Tactical Training, a Florida security company specializing in emergency response, has been brought in to oversee the classes.

Mike Kilian, of Muddy Boots, said the active shooter training focuses not just on tracking down and disarming any potential shooters, but also on treating victims.

“If somebody is injured or shot, we don’t have time to let law enforcement clear the entire building before we can go in to help,” Kilian said. “So what we’re doing in this class is practicing escorting EMS personnel to the victims and extracting them while other teams are looking for the suspects inside the building.”

Kilian said it’s important to make the training as realistic as possible.

“You will react how you train,” he said. “If you have no formal training and don’t practice things, you’re not going to react very well.”

The training exercises are also expected to foster cooperation and collaboration between the various departments responding to various emergencies.

“You should all be training together,” Kilian said. “We get better results if we all train together because we all have the same goal: public safety.”

 

LTC schedules active shooter seminar

From sheboyganpress.com: “LTC schedules active shooter seminar” — Incidents of school or workplace violence can happen at random, but there are ways the public can be better prepared for the worst.

Lakeshore Technical College is offering a seminar from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. July 25 intended to help the public respond effectively. The seminar will be held on the Cleveland campus in the Public Safety building.

The seminar will address school and workplace violence, with a major emphasis on the active shooter. Participants will learn how to respond to threats, what to expect from law enforcement’s response, what to teach their children about the immediate actions to take when confronted by an active shooter and what plans businesses and citizens should have in place.

The seminar is designed for everyone, especially parents and those in the business and school community.

The instructor, Jason Wilterdink, has 15 years of experience as a law enforcement officer. In addition, he is currently a full-time instructor at LTC, a master instructor in use of force, certified by several organizations as a firearms instructor and has served as an instructor and expert witness in self-defense, training, safety, security, health, wellness and fitness.

Wilterdink also served in an international police mission for the United Nations where he served in Liberia-West Africa as the team leader for the crowd control team and lead instructor for physical security, operational security and civil unrest in accordance with UN Security Council resolution 1509.

The cost of the seminar is $89. To register by phone with credit card, call 888-468-6582, ext. 1366.

For more information, visit www.gotoltc.edu/seminars/activeshooters.php or call Ruth at 920-693-1167 or e-mail ruth.semph@gotoltc.edu.

 

Lakeshore Technical College to offer violence seminar

From htrnews.com: “Lakeshore Technical College to offer violence seminar” — CLEVELAND — Incidents of school or workplace violence can happen at random, but there are ways the public can prepare. Lakeshore Technical College will offer a seminar on July 25 intended to help the public respond effectively. It will be held from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. in the Public Safety building on the Cleveland campus, 1290 North Ave.

The seminar will address school and workplace violence, with a major emphasis on the active shooter. It’s designed for everyone, especially parents and those in the business and school community. Participants will learn how to respond to threats, what to expect from law enforcement’s response, what to teach their children about the immediate actions to take when confronted by an active shooter, and what plans businesses and citizens should have in place in case an incident occurs.

The instructor, Jason Wilterdink, has 15 years of experience as a law enforcement officer. He currently is a full-time instructor at LTC, a master instructor in use of force, and certified by several organizations as a firearms instructor. He has served as an instructor and expert witness in self-defense, training, safety, security, health, wellness and fitness.

Wilterdink also participated in an international police mission for the United Nations where he served in Liberia, West Africa, as the team leader for the crowd control team and lead instructor for physical security, operational security, and civil unrest in accordance with U.N. Security Council resolution 1509.

The cost of the seminar is $89, and the class number is 41906. To register by phone with a credit card, call (888) 468-6582, ext. 1366. For more information, visithttp://www.gotoltc.edu/seminars/activeShooters.php or contact Ruth at (920) 693-1167 or ruth.semph@gotoltc.edu.

NTC shows off Merrill Public Safety campus

From waow.com: “NTC ribbon cutting for Merrill Public Safety Campus” — A ribbon cutting took place in Merrill for the new Public Safety Campus. The project provides real-life experience for first responders.

It includes a village with storefronts and streets.

In a command center, there are monitors that keep track of remote control targets and play recorded sound effects, like a person screaming or a dog barking. NTC leaders say it aimed at making the training as realistic as possible.

Two years ago, the original campus was destroyed by a tornado that hit Merrill. At the time, North Central Technical College was in the process of revamping the campus. The tornado gave school leaders an opportunity to make the campus much larger.

The two million dollar project is the result of insurance payments on the original facility, as well as community donations and money from the NTC Foundation.

For more info check out www.ntc.edu

 

Thousands set to use NTC’s new Merrill campus

From wausaudailyherald.com: “Thousands set to use NTC’s new Merrill campus” — Two years after a tornado flattened Northcentral Technical College’s emergency services campus, it is reopening as a state-of-the-art facility that will train thousands of central Wisconsin emergency workers every year.

Associate Dean of Public Safety Bryce Kolpack said that more than 1,000 emergency workers already will have used the campus between March 1 and May 1, and he expects that number to continue growing as the center celebrates its official re-opening Wednesday.

“We’re hoping to be able to provide training for all of northern Wisconsin, including the 10 counties that are part of NTC’s district,” he said. Those counties include all or parts of Clark, Langlade, Lincoln, Marathon, Menominee, Portage, Price, Shawano, Taylor and Waupaca counties.

Those public safety workers will get their training at a $2 million Public Safety Center of Excellence that comprises three main components: a 300-foot by 500-foot paved area for emergency operations training; a half-mile stretch of roadway that will have various surfaces and turns for emergency vehicle training; and an emergency village, which will contain four buildings.

The old facility, destroyed when a tornado whipped through the Merrill area in April 2011, had only a classroom building and a separate facility in which firefighters learned to fight fires. NTC already had been planning an expansion of the facility, and the tornado provided the perfect opportunity to start construction, Public Relations coordinator Jennifer Johnson said.

The school’s insurance carrier covered $1.8 million of the construction. Donations from 11 local businesses totaling $110,000 helped keep costs down, Johnson said. Each of those businesses will have its name on a storefront in the emergency village. The NTC Foundation also contributed $35,000.

Training activities in the emergency village and on the vehicle-training track can be monitored from the command tactical operations center, which is outfitted with technology that controls training targets and digital recording throughout the village and track. This training environment allows full-darkness, night-time activities that simulate the conditions most police officers confront on late-shift assignments.

Several local units already have used the campus, including local police and sheriff’s departments and the state Crime Lab, which offered a class last week on collecting evidence at crime scenes. Representatives from at least 15 central and northern Wisconsin law enforcement departments attended the class, including police and sheriff’s departments from a large swath of the state, from Portage County north to Forest County.

Marathon County Sheriff’s Deputy Randy Hansen, who took part in that class, said the new facility offers better options for required in-service training than the facilities NTC had to use in the past.

“It keeps you sharp and keeps your skills honed,” he said.

Hansen, who has been with the Sheriff’s Department for five years, said deputies used to practice pursuit training at one of the parking lots at NTC’s Wausau campus, but the lot’s size and light poles meant they couldn’t practice at high speeds. The expansion allows trainees to “open up the throttle a bit,” he said.

But the facility will be open to more than just public safety personnel. Kolpack said the college also plans to offer training for new owners of recreational vehicles and skid training for new drivers who haven’t experienced winter driving.

The center also will feature mock campgrounds and deer stands for rural police training, as well as a search and rescue building. The college already is planning for additional training features on site, including a collapsed building prop, rail car props and an indoor shooting range.

NTC opens revamped public safety training center

From wausaudailyherald.com: “NTC opens revamped public safety training center” — Northcentral Technical College is expanding its presence in Merrill after a devastating tornado hit the campus in April 2011. The revitalized Public Safety Center of Excellence offers advanced training in a technically integrated and realistic environment. The 36-acre site is located on the edge of the city of Merrill, an area rich with a natural environment suitable for multiple uses including water rescue and wilderness training.

“After the tornado, we evaluated current and future public safety training needs to ensure our Center of Excellence provides the highest level of hands-on tactical training for public safety professionals,” said Lori Weyers, president of Northcentral Technical College. “Because of the unique and varying training we will be able to offer, we expect several thousand public safety personnel a year to gain practical, hands-on experience right here in Merrill.”

The NTC Public Safety Center of Excellence provides state-of-the-art training for public safety personnel and positions NTC as a leader in the Midwest for emergency management training. The fire training area features a utility training area with five unique props, leak detection field, burn tower, splash tower and extrication pad, as well as confined space and flashover simulation trailers. The Emergency Village replicates local business storefronts on a simulated multi-block street to provide real-life training scenarios for emergency responders. Adjacent to the Emergency Village is an Emergency Vehicle Operations Course, or EVOC, featuring traffic signal lights and light poles mounted with cameras. Training activities in the Emergency Village and on the EVOC track can be monitored from the Command Tactical Operations Center, which is outfitted with technology that controls training targets and digital recording throughout the village and track. This training environment allows full-darkness, night-time activities that simulate the conditions most police officers confront on late-shift assignments.

“This facility will allow learners to bridge the gap between classroom discussion and actual emergency management situations by simulating critical events without the inherent risks of actual hazardous materials and exposure to severe weather conditions,” said Bryce Kolpack, NTC Dean of Public Safety.

The center also will feature mock campgrounds and deer stands for rural police training, as well as a search and rescue building. The college already is planning for additional training features on site, including a collapsed building prop, rail car props and an indoor shooting range.

Training is already under way at the revitalized Public Safety Center of Excellence, with a ribbon-cutting celebration slated for April 24. The community is invited to tour the facility at an open house after the ribbon-cutting from noon to 2 p.m.

For more information on the Public Safety Center of Excellence, visit www.ntc.edu or call 715-675-3331.

Upgrades moving forward at FVTC

From postcrescent.com: “Upgrades moving forward at FVTC” – Last April, residents approved a referendum totaling $66,525,000 that authorized Fox Valley Technical College to expand facilities.

Behind the referendum was a growing demand for training that current facilities are not able to meet, said Chris Jossart, spokesman for the college.

He said that FVTC fills a vital role in providing skilled workers needed by regional employers to stay competitive. In addition to proving themselves, Jossart said, “the program areas involved have been through a rigorous analysis of industry growth projections.”

Construction on the health simulation and technology center began already last October. Spring will see the start of construction on the public safety training center and the student success center, as well as expansions of the agriculture center and the J. J. Keller Transportation Center. The projects have varying completion dates, starting with fall of this year and continuing through spring of 2015.

A little more than half the funding will be spent on the Public Safety Training Center, the flagship project of the referendum.

“The 93,000 square-foot facility, created in partnership with the Outagamie County Regional Airport, will address capacity needs for training in law enforcement, fire protection, and emergency medical services,” Jossart said.

The health technology center will open first, Jossart said, welcoming students at the min campus in Grand Chute this fall.

“The center will allow students from several programs to better use human patient simulators to prepare for realistic health care and emergency situations within a virtual hospital setting,” he said.

The student center project will provide needed space for supplemental instruction, tutoring, and academic support, Jossart said. The central core of the main campus will be remodeled to create the center, he said.

Space for vehicle inspection and maintenance was behind the expansion of the J.J. Keller Transportation Center, Jossart said. The expansion also allows the college to accept more students.

There is a waiting list, and demand from employers is high for truck driving, diesel technology and automotive technology graduates, he said. The public safety training center is expected to alleviate some of these challenges, too.

An 87 percent jump in enrollment in the last four years in agri-business, the state’s largest industry, required expansion of the agriculture center, Jossart said.

The public referendum also included the purchase of land in Oshkosh and buying the college’s Chilton Regional Center, which was formerly leased, to accommodate future program and campus growth. The Chilton purchase freed up operating dollars to build a small expansion made necessary by enrollment growth of 36 percent since 2008.

Jossart said later this year there are “a number of initiatives to enhance our partnership with K12 education systems to prepare young learners for the skills today’s employers need.”

Statewide, he said, employers are seeking professionals with two-year degrees to a greater extent than ever before.

“We are strategically developing new directives to guide the next generation workforce,” he said.

 

Gateway Technical College schedules referendum

From bizjournals.com: “Gateway Technical College schedules referendum for $49M in capital spending” — A referendum on $49 million in capital projects for Gateway Technical College has been scheduled for April 2, according to public documents.

The initial resolution for the proposed spending in the three counties Gateway serves — Kenosha, Racine and Walworth — was adopted by the Gateway Technical College District Board in January.

College district leaders have proposed issuing general obligation bonds or promissory notes to cover the cost of the projects, according to the election notice published Tuesday.

The projects include $13.6 million to renovate and expand Gateway’s Elkhorn campus to accommodate program enhancements, including expanding that site’s welding lab and building a new CNC automated manufacturing lab, a veterinary technician lab, a cosmetology lab and a culinary arts lab, Gateway has said.

The largest project in the proposal is a $15.6 million plan to build a public safety and training center that would serve all Gateway campuses.

The plans also call for building a new Fresh Water Resources lab and other renovations at Gateway’s Racine campus for $2.5 million.

Other proposed projects include expanding and renovating the Kenosha campus Student Services Center and general infrastructure and energy efficiency upgrades.

 

Western students get new training tool

From wxow.com: “Western students get new training tool” — Students at Western Technical College in Sparta have a new training tool.

For the first time, the college bought a brand new fire truck for the fire protection technician program. Typically the school gets old trucks from fire departments.

Students and staff celebrated the new fire engine with what’s called a housing ceremony.

“We’re going to transfer the equipment from the old truck to the new truck, representing that exchange,” said Gary Trulson, associate dean of Health and Public Safety. “And then we’re also going to wash the wheels of the new truck and it really dates back to the old days, in the horse drawn steamer days, when they had to wash the wheels.”

The dean says a state-of the art training truck will better prepare students for the real world.

Special delivery for FVTC Public Safety Training Center

From fox11online.com: “Special delivery for FVTC Public Safety Training Center” — GREENVILLE – It’s a big addition to the new Fox Valley Technical College Public Safety Training Center.

A 727 was donated by FedEx at a ceremony at Outagamie County Regional Airport in Greenville Tuesday.

The plane will be used by emergency responders for fire, tactical and medical training scenarios.

The Boeing 727 saw its best days hauling cargo for FedEx. Now it will be used for an even more important task on the ground.

“From opening emergency exits, to pulling crew members out to shutting down systems, this is a very unique opportunity,” said Bill Ewing, fire chief for Pro-Tec Fire Services, which serves Austin Straubel and Outagamie County airports.

FedEx donated the plane that will now become a training ground for emergency personnel as part of the new public safety training center partnership between the airport and Fox Valley Technical College.

“It’s very difficult to simulate this setting and make it work, so we are extremely grateful to be able to provide this kind of resource in this kind of environment,” said Fox Valley Technical College president Susan May.

The plane will be outfitted with seats and permanently grounded. It will be used for tactical and fire training as well as emergency medical scenarios, making it a training destination for the region and the country.

“Existing public safety personnel from the state, the region and even nationally depending on how specialized the training may be,” said May.

The aircraft is still worth about $1.5 million, but first responders who will use it say the training it will provide will be invaluable.

“This is an opportunity for us to train hands on doing the things that we would do in real world scenario,” said Ewing.

Making sure responders are as prepared as they can be in the event of a real local emergency.

“Any training is good training, but the level that this aircraft is going to provide us is going to take us to the next level,” said Ewing.

Fox Valley Tech and the airport having been working for about 15 years on acquiring an aircraft like this one for training purposes.

NTC receives donation to Emergency Village training project

From wifc.com: “NTC receives donation to Emergency Village training project” — Northcentral Technical College is getting a donation to install state-of-the-art law enforcement training equipment at the Merrill campus. A check presentation ceremony starts at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday morning at Church Mutual Insurance.

NTC’s Emergency Village project will use the funding to provide moving target training equipment, including tactical targets and robots. Police Science and Emergency Medical Service students will face real-time, computer- simulated situations that all public safety workers must know how to handle in a safe and controlled environment.

Campus President Lori Weyers expects several thousand public safety personnel a year to gain practical, hands-on experience at the Merrill center. The Emergency Village project is expected to be fully operational for training by next spring.

FVTC breaks ground on training center

From fox11.com: “FVTC breaks ground on training center” — GREENVILLE – The beginning of a step forward Wednesday in the training of emergency responders.  Those involved in building a $34 million public safety training center for Fox Valley Technical College hope it will eventually improve the protection of area communities.

“This is gonna make us move forward with a public safety training center that is second to none,” said Fire Protection Department Chair Jeremy Hansen.

The facility is going up in Greenville on Outagamie County Airport land.  It’s part of a more than $60 million referendum the community approved last spring.

Hansen told FOX 11 some highlights the 80-acre site will include are a mock village, a water-rescue pond and driving courses.  He said it will provide training for police, firefighters and EMT’s all at once.

“If we respond to it in the real world, we should be training together as well,” said Hansen.

The school trains both new recruits and those already working in public safety.  The Grand Chute Police Department is one of the local agencies that works with Fox Valley Tech.

“This will put officers into an environment that is exactly as they will face on the street,” Chief Greg Peterson told FOX 11.

The airport’s director told us construction will not interrupt airport traffic.  In fact, he said, he hopes the center brings more tourism to the area.

“It gives us a state-of-the-art facility to draw visitors to the area to spend a few days in the hotels, to show, to go to restaurants,” said Martin Lenss

Those involved say the center will also make the area safer.

“My officers will perform better, we will perform better as an organization, but the level of services we provide will dramatically increase,” said Peterson.

But Hansen told us the citizens have earned a good return on the investment.

“If it wasn’t for the community’s support, we wouldn’t have this facility,” said Hansen.

Contractors expect to have the project complete in about two years.

NTC gets $10K for emergency village in Merrill

From wausaudailyherald.com: “NTC gets $10K for emergency village in Merrill” — The Merrill Area Community Foundation has given $9,900 to Northcentral Technical College to help with development of the school’s Public Safety Center in Merrill.

The donation will be used to buy a moving target training system at the Public Safety Center’s Emergency Village. The system includes robotic tactical targets for use in a safe outside environment, which will allow students and protective service workers to experience real-time, computer-simulated emergency situations.

“We are grateful for the support and generosity of the Merrill Area Community Foundation to bring state-of-the-art training equipment to the Emergency Village,” NTC President Lori Weyers said in a press release. “Once this project is complete, we expect several thousand public safety personnel a year to gain practical, hands-on experience right here in Merrill.”

NTC expects the Emergency Village to be fully operational for training by spring of 2013.

NTC’s Merrill public safety campus gets upgrade

From wausaudailyherald.com: “NTC’s Merrill public safety campus gets upgraded” — MERRILL — Northcentral Technical College’s Public Safety Center of Excellence in Merrill is getting a state-of-the-art upgrade this fall, and college officials expect it to benefit more than students.

Construction on the nearly $1 million project on Champagne Street began during the summer, and with work progressing on schedule, the college hopes for a late fall opening for the new training facility, said Jennifer Johnson, a public relations coordinator for NTC. There will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony in late October or early November with an open house soon after.

The project has three main components — a 300-foot by 500-foot paved area for emergency operations training; a half-mile stretch of roadway that will have various surfaces and turns for emergency vehicle training; and an emergency village, which will contain four buildings.

Two of those buildings will mimic storefronts in the Merrill area and will be used to train students and emergency personnel in simulated emergency situations. One will be a search-and-rescue building with a catwalk along the roof for observation, and the fourth building will be used as a tactical control center for reviewing training operations, Associate Dean of Public Safety Bryce Kolpack said.

Several police agencies have expressed interest in using the facility for training, Kolpack said, including the State Patrol and the Department of Natural Resources, which could use it for canine training. Courses would be available to all agencies within the college’s district.

“We’re hoping to be able to provide training for all of northern Wisconsin, including the 10 counties that are part of NTC’s district,” he said. Those counties include all or parts of Clark, Langlade, Lincoln, Marathon, Menominee, Portage, Price, Shawano and Taylor counties.

The facility also will have new lighting to create low-light situations for night training and camera equipment to record training operations and play them back.

“Whether it was one student or a group of students, we’ll be able to show them the things that went well and what didn’t after they complete the training exercise,” he said.

In addition to using the facility for students in the public safety program and emergency personnel, NTC hopes to use it to train civilians, Kolpack said. The driving course could be used for skid recovery training for new drivers, and instructors are exploring the potential of working with people who have permits to carry concealed weapons to teach them about appropriate use of deadly force.

Donations from 11 local businesses totaling $110,000 helped keep costs down, Johnson said. Each of those businesses will have its name on a storefront in the emergency village. The NTC Foundation also contributed $35,000.

The college also built a classroom building after the previous one was destroyed in the tornado last year. That facility opened in the spring and already has held classes, Johnson said.

NTC expands emergency training options

From wausaudailyherald.com: “NTC expands emergency training options” — Northcentral Technical College is expanding its presence in Merrill after a devastating tornado hit the campus in April 2011. The Public Safety Center of Excellence will now feature a state-of-the-art Emergency Village, Emergency Vehicle Operations Course, or EVOC, and Gas Leak Detection Field, in addition to the classroom building, burn tower and splash tower.

The Emergency Village will replicate the business storefronts on a simulated street block to provide real-life training scenarios for emergency responders. The project was made possible thanks to the support of 11 Merrill area businesses: Trantow Do-It Center, Reindl Printing Inc., Weinbrenner Shoe Company Inc., Ministry Good Samaritan Health Center, Merrill Distributing, Bierman Family Foundation, Inc., Riiser Oil Company, River Valley Bank, Ghidorzi Companies, Aspirus, Inc. and Church Mutual Insurance Company have committed a total of $110,000 to the project. A $5,000 donation from the Wisconsin Public Service Foundation will support the development of a leak detection field at the center.

“The wonderful support and generosity of these local businesses alleviates the need for NTC to go to referendum to make this project a possibility,” said Lori Weyers, president of Northcentral Technical College. “Once this project is complete, we expect several thousand public safety personnel a year to gain practical, hands-on experience right here in Merrill.”

The NTC Public Safety Center of Excellence provides state-of-the-art training for public safety personnel. The Emergency Village and EVOC track will complement the existing training facilities and position NTC as a leader in the Midwest for emergency management training. With the addition of night-time training and tactical training in the Emergency Village, NTC will make a significant impact to the economic vitality of the region as trainees come from throughout the Midwest to Merrill to train.

“This facility will allow learners to bridge the gap between classroom discussion and actual emergency management situations by simulating critical events without the inherent risks of actual hazardous materials and exposure to severe weather conditions,” said Bryce Kolpack, NTC dean of Public Safety.

Construction is currently under way, with the classroom facility expected to open in February for Late Start classes. The Emergency Village and EVOC track are expected to be fully operational for training in the 2012-13 school year.

For more information on public safety training or general course availability at the Merrill campus, visit www.ntc.edu or call 715-675-3331.

Fox Valley Technical College board approves $66.5M referendum

From greenbaypressgazette.com: “Fox Valley Technical College board approves $66.5M referendum” — GRAND CHUTE — Voters in nine counties will be asked April 3 to approve a $66.525 million capital facilities referendum for Fox Valley Technical College, the state’s busiest technical school.

The FVTC Board of Trustees has approved two resolutions authorizing the referendum and borrowing of up to $66.525 million for seven proposed capital facilities projects.

The largest of the projects is a $32.5 million public safety training center proposed for construction on 75 acres of leased land on the south end of the Outagamie County Regional Airport in Greenville.

“We are sensitive to the current economic situation and its impact on the many families in this region,” said FVTC board Chairman Bill Fitzpatrick. “But we also know that this college plays a critical role in rebuilding the local economy by giving workers the skills they need for sustainable employment.”

Proposed projects at the Grand Chute campus include an $11.9 million health simulation and technology center, $7.4 million student success center, $6.2 million transportation center expansion, and $3.5 million agriculture center expansion. Also proposed are $1 million to purchase land next to the Advanced Manufacturing Technology Center in Oshkosh, $1.4 million to buy the leased Chilton Regional Center and $300,000 to add a classroom/lab to the Chilton facility.

Growing demands from area employers for skilled workers, an unprecedented 30 percent enrollment growth the past three years, limited facilities, historic low borrowing costs and probable competitive construction bidding were key factors cited by officials to support pursuit of a comprehensive capital facilities plan.

Last year, FVTC served 53,000 individuals. “That’s more people than any other technical college in the state, more than Milwaukee, more than Madison,” Fitzpatrick said.

If voters approve the referendum, FVTC will be authorized to borrow the necessary funds over two years. The property tax impact on the owner of a $100,000 home is estimated not to exceed $12.50 annually with the $66.5 million borrowed over 15 years using conservative interest rate projections.

The referendum, FVTC’s first in 14 years, will require approval of voters in all or parts of nine counties, including Brown, Calumet, Manitowoc, Outagamie, Portage, Shawano, Waupaca, Waushara and Winnebago.

Businesses support NTC Emergency Village project to boost safety training

From wausawdailyherald.com: “Businesses support NTC Emergency Village project to boost safety training” — MERRILL — Emergency workers soon will have the opportunity to train on a faux downtown street where they will be able to practice everything from traffic stops to hostage situations.

Eleven businesses with ties to Merrill recently donated $10,000 each to Northcentral Technical College, which will use the $110,000 to build a state-of-the-art emergency village at its Public Safety Center of Excellence in Merrill. The NTC Foundation will provide an additional $35,000 needed for the project.

Merrill Police Chief Ned Seubert said the village will help trainees as well as seasoned veterans because it will allow police, firefighters and other emergency personnel to run drills in a simulated urban environment.

“This is going to be scenario-based, real-life situations,” Seubert said. “I think it’s a great opportunity.”

NTC instructors will conduct student training and assist with local department training.