LIVONIA -- Schoolcraft College celebrated the completion of renovation and construction projects at its Public Safety Training Complex by hosting first responders for a day of professional development, celebration and remembrance.

Professionals from the fields of law enforcement and fire protection were the guests of honor at the June 14 event. The day featured demonstrations and presentations, guest speakers, and the dedication of an Honor Wall that pays tribute to graduates of the college’s Police Academy, Police Reserve Officer Training Center and Fire Academy who lost their lives in service to their communities. Family members and colleagues of the deceased who were present were also recognized.

Dean of College Centers Todd Scott, who oversees the public safety programs, said that the newly renovated facility was strategically located and designed to accommodate the training needs of police and fire departments throughout the region. Scott said that 25 police and fire agencies are in a consortium with Schoolcraft to "...combine resources and learn best practices together."

Keynote speaker Dave Smith, a nationally recognized trainer, author, consultant and expert witness on law enforcement issues, said that Michigan is a leader in public safety training. He also praised the college and the City of Livonia for collaborating on the creation of the facility. "It's only through facilities like this that citizens are transformed" into civil servants who preserve our democracy, he said.

He said that some police officers, firefighters and other first responders can at times feel like they are not making a difference in the wider community. "This is because they are operating at the atomic level," he said. At the macro level, where the hundreds of thousands of daily actions by first responders across the nation are added up, it becomes clearer that these professionals are the ones who maintain civil society and make possible our way of life. He urged those in attendance to continually remind the police and fire cadets in training at Schoolcraft that they are valued civil servants who truly do make a difference.

Phase I of project contributes to local economy

Schoolcraft president Conway Jeffress joined Livonia Mayor Jack Kirksey in highlighting the college-city collaboration that made the facility possible. The site is located on Industrial Road just west of Merriman, close to other training resources in use by the city, allowing both parties to mutually benefit. These benefits will be enhanced as Schoolcraft embarks on renovations to an adjacent building, recently purchased by the college. Plans for that space are in the early stages.

The renovations and construction celebrated June 14 are considered the first phase of the development of this location, and Jeffress pointed out that the project contributed to the local economy. Forty percent of the work was provided by vendors from the immediate area, and the project generated 50,000 hours of work in the skilled trades.

Other numbers related to the project are equally impressive. The indoor part of the facility is 23,000 square feet. The outdoor portion includes a 10-acre driving pad that used enough asphalt to be equivalent to six miles of paved road. And the four-story smoke and burn tour, used to simulate a variety of firefighting and rescue situations, includes a setting for a "high angle rescue." Scott had recently been in the tower and he told the audience that "high" is not an exaggeration. "From the top I could see main campus," he said. referring to Schoolcraft's campus at Haggerty and Six Mile, located roughly three miles -- as the crow files -- from the training center just south of I-96 near Merriman.

The complex also includes a confined space training maze that can be configured to simulate numerous indoor settings and a trench rescue training space.

For more information on the public safety training programs available at Schoolcraft College, contact the Admissions and Enrollment Center at 734-462-4426 or the main office of the college's Radcliff Center at 734-462-4770.