FORT PIERCE, FL—The Indian River State College (IRSC) Treasure Coast Public Safety Training Complex was distinguished as the Best in Florida during the 2022 Fire Service Awards, held in the Senate Chamber at the Florida Capitol on December 13, 2022. The award program recognized Florida’s firefighting community for its outstanding accomplishments in the fire service industry.
“Our Treasure Coast Public Safety Training Complex was selected from more than 40 centers around the state as an exemplary site for the quality of its training and its exquisite learning environments,” said IRSC President Dr. Timothy Moore. “We are grateful to Florida Chief Financial Officer and State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis for recognizing our outstanding facility and its critical role in ensuring that our first responders are well-prepared to protect our citizens and each other.”
The 50-acre Complex provides immersive experiences for students in IRSC Public Safety Education programs and certified first responders who seek advanced training opportunities and continuing education in a highly versatile environment. Facilities include a 10,000-square-foot fire station; a six-story fire training tower; a Class-A burn building and a burn field (LP and natural gas) for outdoor fire suppression scenarios utilizing props such as fuel tankers, automobiles, barbeque grills and broken gas lines; and a tactical training village with traffic intersection, buildings, and collapse structure within a road system.
The facility is erecting an additional permanent four-story tower to accommodate the growing enrollment in its A.S. in Fire Science Technology and Basic Recruit Fire Academy and to serve as training grounds for firefighters preparing for the World Fire Fighter Challenge games. IRSC sponsors the reigning World Champions—the St. Lucie County Fire District Combat Challenge Team.
“This accolade is a testament to our dedicated IRSC faculty, staff and students and a reflection of the strength of our partnerships with regional fire service agencies,” adds Dr. Raimundo Socorro, IRSC Dean of Public Safety Education. “We are honored to share this designation with them.”
In addition to serving the training needs of Florida’s firefighting community, the IRSC Treasure Coast Public Safety Training Complex offers a wide range of educational and professional development opportunities in criminal justice—including the Florida Law Enforcement Academy—and degree and certificate programs in emergency management, homeland security, paralegal and human services. The comprehensive facility features a virtual reality use-of-force training simulator, an Emergency Operations Center, a three-story tactical shoot house, an indoor tactical firearms range, a dive training lake, a mock courtroom, booking and jail cells, a computer crime investigations lab, tactical vehicle training range, human services suite, classrooms and a 450-seat auditorium.
To learn more, visit irsc.edu.