Mitchell Community College’s public safety program is critical to the well-being of every Iredell County resident.
Mitchell Community College has a robust and successful Public Safety training program that provides training and certification to more than 1,500 law enforcement, fire, EMT, emergency management, telecommunicator, detention officer, and paramedic professionals in our community.
These programs have experienced tremendous growth in recent years, and as our community grows, the need for more public safety professionals will increase with it.
Recently, the college’s fire training program enrollment has increased by 61 percent. Criminal Justice and BLET program enrollments are up 72 percent.
As a result of the demand for our public safety training, the college is beginning to run short on instructional space. Currently, public safety programs operate out of the basement of a building that will soon be 100 years old.
The program’s ability to provide driving instruction for public safety students has also been diminished. The college has long used the Statesville Regional Airport as a place to teach tactical driving, however, thanks to the positive and exciting growth at that facility, they are limited much more in the ability to provide the best skillsets to students.
The college’s Board of Trustees have approved the new Public Safety Training Facility project as the college’s top facilities priority and have unanimously passed a resolution calling on our county commissioners for their help in obtaining the necessary funding for its construction.
About the facility
The proposed facility would provide a 36,000 sq. ft. driving pad, instructional classroom space, and storage for public safety equipment and vehicles.
The facility will allow Mitchell to partner with area agencies such as the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office, Mooresville, Statesville, and Troutman Police Departments, city, town and county fire departments, Iredell EMS and rescue squads, and many others to provide a place for their own training and professional development.
Mitchell also has the opportunity to develop new training programs and partnerships, including with area transportation departments, should we construct this important facility.
Mitchell has the best public safety faculty and staff that anyone could ask for, and the college’s goal is to provide facilities that match the quality instruction they provide.