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New Public Safety Training Center in Mason Co. Helps Students Better Prepare for Future of Serving

Public safety students at now have a space to call their own.

They recently opened the in Free Soil; an improvement of nearly 15,000 square feet.

Director of Criminal Justice Dan Dellar says, “To be able to have a space that’s dedicated to this training so that the people they see in the halls are here for the same purpose.”

The students used to only practice shooting outside. Now, the new facility has an indoor firing range so students can practice all year round.

“Everything is all right here, it’s pretty amazing training to have all of these resources; a lot of places don’t necessarily have them,” says Brian Hintz, an instructor at Riemer Regional Public Safety Training Center.

The new facility also has a simulator that immerses students in various situations to learn what it will be like in the field.

“There’s a lot of officers that tell you that in an academy you don’t really know what you’re going into,” says Bryanna Hamilton, a student. “You don’t actually know the job until you’re in the field.”

West Shore Community College also hopes to add an EMT program and paramedic classes in the next two years.