Mayor Tommy Battle, City leaders cut ribbon on Public Safety Training facilities

Published on October 29, 2024

The exterior portion of Huntsville’s Public Safety Training Academy is now open, featuring additions that complement the 58,000 square foot training academy facility by providing real-world scenarios designed to enhance development of elite police officers and firefighters.

“The residents of Huntsville deserve to have the best trained police officers and firefighters and the City works toward that objective every day,” Mayor Tommy Battle said. “Facilities like this are a critical part of that training, providing a place to put into action what has been learned in the classroom.”

The $18.6 million project includes a 600-foot-by-600-foot lighted driving course used by the Huntsville Police Department (HPD) for certification, a quarter-mile track and field area for HPD’s agility and fitness course, three outdoor pavilion classrooms and an expansion of the K9 training area.

“People count on us for protection and this investment gives our department the training and tools we need to do our job well,” HPD Chief Kirk Giles said. “Thank you to the Mayor and City Council for supporting our department with this new facility. It’s a big step that helps us stay ready and effective in serving our community.”

The Huntsville Fire & Rescue (HFR) training area includes a 60-foot burn tower, a 74-foot rescue and rappel tower, an 8,400-square-foot configurable building to simulate firefighting scenarios, a 9,010-square-foot maintenance and pump test building, a 6,400-square-foot storage building and a simulated streetscape driving course.

“This facility is a tremendous asset to prepare our firefighters to respond quickly and efficiently,” Huntsville Fire Chief Howard McFarlen said. “The versality of the buildings allows us to create almost any setting that our firefighters may face. HFR is grateful to Mayor Battle and the City Council for their support.”