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Future growth discussed about public safety training center

By BREANNA HANLEY bhanley@lockhaven.com 6 min read

PLEASANT GAP -- The Centre County Public Safety Training Center (CCPSTC) is looking to expand in the near future.

CCPSTC is a regional emergency services training site; a county-owned facility that is managed and operated by the Central Pennsylvania Institute of Science and Technology (CPI).

"We are now serving first responders out of 18 different counties through the training site here," said Mark Keller, Coordinator for CCPSTC. "Either as an educational training agency and going to their firehouses and teaching (there) or they come here and they use the facility."

The training center teaches emergency response preparedness, including those involving burning buildings, roof training simulations, driving courses and more.

When the training site was first built, the Centre County Commissioners pledged free training for Centre County Fire Departments, and that pledge has been upheld.

"In today's economy, sometimes that's difficult," said Keller, who thanked the commissioners for their support of the emergency services in the area.

With the increased demand for training courses for emergency responders in Central Pennsylvania, Centre County Government, in partnership with the University Park Airport, conducted a training exercise and controlled structural burn exercise using a new apparatus that was purchased for the University Park Airport.

"(This) is a training like we've never done with them before. When you think about the airport firefighters you think about them responding to airplanes emergencies. Today, they're learning how to put out a fire that would be in the building. They need to know how to do that, and it's not something that was taken into consideration years ago. Today, we're moving forward," said Keller.

Keller went on to describe the buildings behind him and what they were used for in training situations. One of the buildings is a hose drill tower and technical rescue tower.

"Technical rescue is becoming a hot topic in the emergency services world today. (It) covers basic vehicle accidents, trench rescues, combined space, structural collapses... we are able to offer all of those courses with the exception of the structural collapse. I was asked why we have 18 counties coming here when there's other facilities that may be closer, some of that is our capabilities," said Keller.

The controlled burn exercise began with a press conference where numerous individuals spoke about the CCPSTC and what it has done for central Pennsylvania.

Harvey Boyer, Administrator at the Pennsylvania State Fire Academy, had a lot to say about the dedication involved in both being a first responder, and putting forth the effort of supporting first responders.

"The Fire Commission of Pennsylvania supports both paid, combination and volunteer fire services across the entire commonwealth. Across the commonwealth, we have a series of training facilities out there. It all starts with a calling or idea, dedication and at the end of that training... It's not made for everybody, but we're so grateful for those who answer that call. That includes not just people running a rig or fire hose, but our local township and government officials (who) support that calling," said Boyer.

Boyer personally trained at CCPSTC, and was enthusiastic about the experience, claiming the center is a "fantastic facility."

"We do next-level training at the facility in Lewistown, but here is where it all starts," said Boyer.

Commissioner Steven Dershem spoke briefly about the history of the facility.

"This place has been operational for a very long time. One of the things we ran into in the process (was that) this site was supposed to be in Benner Township (at the Giant Supermarket site.) The state had given us ground. Over the course of time (it) became increasingly difficult to put this site there. Chris Exarchos and I were driving down this road and saw a for sale sign... This is probably one of the best investments that Centre County has ever made," said Dershem.

Dershem also highlighted the county's partnership with CPI, citing that it was key to the success of the project.

"This education building is going to be one more step in continuing improvements at this facility to make sure that our first responders have the training and knowledge they need to serve the citizens of Centre County. The fact that it extends beyond Centre County into a regional facility makes it that much more special to us because we're making an impact across Pennsylvania," said Dershem.

Commissioner Amber Concepcion highlighted the decline in numbers of first responders across the commonwealth.

"Training centers like this one fill a critical role providing training in a variety of scenarios. Making training courses frequently available and convenient to attend is vital to ensure we have enough emergency responders and that our emergency responders are well supported. Our proposal for an educational building on the site is based on documented demand for the required classroom training," said Concepcion.

Keller stressed the need for the facility to grow, citing classroom issues as a key component. The center struggles to have multiple classes happening at once due to a lack of classroom space, often needing to borrow a classroom from CPI or another fire department's training room when the classroom in the fire station is in use.

Chairman Mark Higgins commented briefly that the commissioners have been working towards receiving a Federal Earmark Grant to help build the education building as well as working with state representatives.

"It takes a big team to make something like this happen," said Higgins, "We have letters of support from 9 or 10 of the closest county commissioners. This facility is now running as many as four different events simultaneously. We just don't have the space now to handle that."

The center is seeking numerous state and federal grants to help build an estimated $4 million building on the existing property. The building will house four new classrooms equipped with movable walls to increase or shrink classroom size at will, an integrated ambulance bay and a shower space so that those who may be exposed to smoke can wash the scent away.

"Through the help of legislators and other people, we're hoping to be able to make (this) happen," said Keller.

"The success and effectiveness of our first responders depends on many factors including proper funding as well as the equipment, apparatus and other resources they need to keep us, our families, our communities and each other safe. Often under very difficult and dangerous conditions. That requires extensive training and preparation," said Paul Takac, State Representative for District 82.

Takac stressed that large scale regional facilities such as the CCPSTC are critical to the success of first responders

Representatives for U.S. Senator John Fetterman, Congressman Glenn "GT" Thompson and state rep. Jared Solomon were also in attendance.

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