Malia Riggs
Elmore Autauga News
The City of Prattville hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for the new $4 million joint police and fire public safety training facility Thursday Morning. This facility will have state-of-the-art technology and the latest bells and whistles for training for both agencies.
This facility will be one of a kind to the tri-county area as typically departments such as fire and police house their own training facilities. This brings a distinctive unity to the emergency services that serve Autauga and Elmore Counties.
“We have two great chiefs that both have big visions here. I think this will be beneficial to the whole community for decades to come,” Prattville Mayor Bill Gillespie said.
This new facility will have multiple classrooms and training classrooms, one of which can hold up to 275 people. It will have state-of-the-art technology for training purposes. A huge aspect of this new training facility will be geared towards live action scenarios. It will train the men and women who diligently serve Autauga County, to better prepare them for any situation.
The facility will also have a firearms and training simulator, known as a FATS shooting simulator, Prattville Police Chief Mark Thompson confirmed in an earlier article with EAN.
“I sat down with this man (Chief Brown), and we came together and started talking about what’s best for the city and best for fire and police. That was years ago. It’s not fire and police, it’s public safety. You won’t see that in many other cities, but we have it here and it’s because of that man right there wanting to work and bring us into his vision, and our vision’s together and you see what’s about to come out of that,” Thompson said.
The City of Prattville awarded this $3,911,206.00 project to Webb Builders, Inc. Construction is estimated to take approximately 10 months from start to finish.
City Council President Lora Lee Boone stated that the police and fire departments will continue to receive support from the city council and commended them for their hard work in keeping Prattville safe.
Elected officials from the majority of the Prattville City Council, numerous members of the Prattville Fire Department and Prattville Police Department, were all present for the momentous groundbreaking ceremony.
Members of the Prattville finance department as well as the Prattville Area Chamber of Commerce were also attending.
Fire Chief Terry Brown thanked Police Chief Thompson for their friendship and support as well as the citizens of Prattville, stating without it, none of this would have been possible.
“I’m just grateful, grateful for the commitment of my personnel and their talents. It’s been an honor to serve 37 years in this city. I am honored and I am thankful. This is going to be exciting, and we’re looking forward to it,” Brown said.
Thompson confirmed that one room in the new facility will be dedicated and named after Clint Walker, an officer who died during a training accident in 2004. This signifies that even training is dangerous, while also paying tribute to Walker and his noble efforts as a Prattville Police officer.
Chief Thompson and Chief Brown confirmed this will give both their respective departments the opportunities to train more personnel and give added opportunity for growth in training and growth in their departments.
The Fire Department is a part of a regional training facility for the Alabama State Fire College and with this new facility, Brown confirmed this will enhance the opportunity for more classes and training opportunities.
