ST. LUCIE COUNTY — After weeks of police officer training in a classroom, Indian River State College students move on to a small platform that provides a high-tech simulation of how they react in a real-life situation.

They’re given a weapon that only emits lasers and equipped with a belt that zaps them if they put themselves in danger.

“It teaches consequences if they make bad decisions,” Stephen Huntsberger, associate dean of Public Service Education for IRSC, said of the VirTra Systems simulator at the complex.

The simulator is one of the planned demonstrations at Friday’s public open house at the new Indian River State College Public Safety Complex.

The 50-acre, $40 million complex consists of eight buildings, each with a different purpose. Fire and law enforcement training includes classroom instruction and hands-on training. The college bills the complex as the most comprehensive and technologically advanced public safety resource in the country.

Classrooms and buildings are named after the many benefactors who helped pay for the building. State Sen. Joe Negron helped get state money, and the college paid for some of the project.

Local law enforcement agencies have been using it for several months now.

Vero Beach Police Department officers previously had to travel to Orange or Brevard counties to get the same kind of simulation training at the complex, said deputy Chief David Currey. Or, the department had to make up its own training at the VBPD shooting range.

The department now has scheduled a series of training days at the Indian River State College complex in the Bernstein Tactical Building, a room with movable walls that can be changed and designed to train for hostage situations, bank robberies or other situations.

“It’s certainly going to be used by us,” Currey said.

The complex already has attracted national and international attention. IRSC provided nuclear and radiation training for this year’s Super Bowl security, college officials said. In November, more than 500 firefighters and fire rescuers will come to the campus for the Great Florida Fire School.

Local agencies also are using the complex to get high-tech training.

“We tried to create an educational and training environment where people can learn in as real life (a) learning environment as possible,” Huntsberger said.

But the impact goes beyond training opportunities.

Local businesses such as hotels and restaurants also may benefit from those coming to the complex for training, officials said.

While the complex has been active since January, Friday’s open house gives the public its only chance to see the crime lab in operation. Interactive activities and demonstrations of the various aspects of the complex also will be on display.

One such demonstration is the VirTra Systems simulator, which incorporates what academy students learn in law enforcement techniques in a real-life setting.

“It’s a very sophisticated video game,” Huntsberger said.

In the simulator, students step on a 200-square-foot stage surrounded by large white walls.

Also at the complex, a mock courtroom helps law enforcement practice testifying in a real-life setting. In another building, students observe booking procedures and how to handle inmates with a mock cell.

Outside, a submerged plane in a 30-foot deep retention pond provides training opportunities for dive team rescues. A mock village allows law enforcement to train for traffic stops and disasters.

A six-floor building provides high-rise training for firefighters. Nearby, a four-story building can be set on fire inside to provide training on entering a burning building.

About 500 people are on the complex campus on a daily basis. The campus can accommodate about twice that number, said Huntsberger.

In addition to local agencies, the complex is used by police and fire academy students. The college offers two- and four-year degrees in public safety and public safety administration. The college also hopes to add a four-year human services degree and possibly use the complex’s human services suite with therapy simulators for training.

OPEN HOUSE

What: The Indian River State College Public Safety Training Complex opens to the public for demonstrations and interactive activities Friday.

When: The dedication ceremony begins at 1 p.m. At 2 p.m., an Eternal Flame will be lit to recognize Treasure Coast public safety personnel who have died in the line of duty. Demonstrations are from 2:15 to 4 p.m.

Where: The complex is at 4600 Kirby Loop Road, off 35th Street, Fort Pierce.

Activities:

Neill-Chapin Crime Lab featuring forensics, toxicology and crime analysis laboratories

First Peoples Bank Use of Force Training Simulator, which creates hostile scenarios to train law enforcement

IRSC Employees Emergency Operations Center and satellite communications vehicle

Bernstein Tactical Training Building

Fire science training tower supported by the St. Lucie County Fire District

Indoor firearms range

Burn house and gas burn field

Colleen Wixon

Tags: bank, beach, business, cell, chief, college, communication, Crime, degrees, deputies, deputy, dies, diving, education, emergency, environment, fire, firearm, firefighter, firefighters, fires, Florida, hotel, housing, inmate, irsc, money, name, national, nuclear, Plane, planes, police, restaurant, roads, robbery, safety, Schools, science, security, shooting, students, teach, tower, Traffic, train, travel, video

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 9th, 2009 at 9:52 am and is filed under Indian River County. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.