During the month of August, our community will cut the ribbon on two exceptional public safety facilities. Citizens should be proud of both buildings, and should be even more proud of the activities that will take place within each.
You hear city officials say public safety is a top priority. The new Springfield-Greene County Public Safety Center and the new Springfield Regional Police-Fire Training Center are examples of how our community is walking the talk.
Built to withstand an F5 tornado, the $20 million PSC is constructed of 530 tons of steel and more than 5,000 cubic yards of concrete, and it contains a 600 kilowatt backup generator.
The building, 833 Boonville Ave., includes “best of breed” ideas from other facilities and is designed to be used both during a disaster and between disasters. This is not a building that will sit idle, just waiting for a disaster to occur. The Springfield-Greene County Office of Emergency Management – which recently received the highest accreditation score in the nation the by the National Emergency Management Accreditation Program commission – will deliver emergency response training year-round.
Having just returned from a Federal Emergency Management Agency-funded “Disaster Camp” in Maryland along with 67 others from our community, I realize more than ever how important the PSC will be in our community when we respond to a disaster. It was an honor for our community to have been selected, and the faculty placed our team’s performance in the top three of any community that has gone through the course.
This facility also will house the Springfield-Greene County 911 staff members, who have been wedged into a facility far too small for their needs. The 911 staff will work on the top floor, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Missouri, helped Greene County receive $3 million in federal grants to invest in the PSC. With this key federal funding, this facility is a wise, long-range investment by a community that cares about its citizens.
The $4.6 million Springfield Regional Police-Fire Training Center is an addition to the Police Department’s South District Station and the Fire Department’s Station No. 6 at 2620 W. Battlefield Road. This building will serve as a comprehensive training facility for not only Springfield Police and Fire professionals, but also public safety personnel from throughout the region. The word “regional” is not in the name just for show – we truly want to help serve the entire southwest Missouri community. Area police and fire personnel will pay a fee to attend most training classes, but the reduction in travel and overnight lodging expenses will benefit all taxpayers.
This facility was funded by level property tax funds approved by voters in 2001. In case you’re wondering, these funds can only be used to fund facilities and equipment; they could not have been used to hire officers and firefighters, nor could they have been used to help fund the Police-Fire Pension Fund shortfall.
Greg Burris is Springfield’s city manager. He can be reached at gburris@springfieldmo.gov.
