Interact Business Group

Luzerne County Community College Public Safety Training Institute

After seven years, the dream of Nanticoke, Pennsylvania emergency responders has finally become reality. In late March, Luzerne Community College broke ground on its new 15 million dollar state-of-the-art first responder training center. The vision of LCCC in cooperation with state and local officials became reality with the help of the strategic plan developed by the Interact Business Group. The strategic plan provided the center a long-term needs assessment, facility plan, daily operations plan, and funding strategy.

On hand for the groundbreaking ceremony was Karen Flannery, Dean of Public Safety Training and Special Initiatives. The Interact Business Group, was able to provide Flannery and her staff with a custom strategic plan for facilities that, according to LCCC officials, "The most significant undertaking since our arrival to Nanticoke in 1974 after moving from Wilkes-Barre after the 1972 flood"           

Located in Northeastern Pennsylvania, the Luzerne County Community College Public Safety Training Institute will offer an estimated 4,000 first responders from 10 counties the opportunity to get state-of-the-art hands on training. The 34-acre site includes a five story structured tactical burn building and drill tower, institute's headquarters with classrooms and storage facilities. In addition to the state of the art buildings, the Luzerne training site will include an indoor shooting range, driving course, gas exposure training, K-9 training area, helicopter landing pad and collapsible buildings.

The facility will act a permanent replacement for the inadequate training methods of the past. In the past, departments sent firefighters as far south as Maryland. . According to Kingston, Pennsylvania firefighter Jim Wills, "They (students) are going to know what real world is like and when we send them out for firefighting they are going to have some real experience."  Quality training will no doubt produce better-prepared first responders. According to Wills, "We're finally going to have a place where we could train properly, your going to have lives saved and property saved."

After years of hard work by LCCC officials and the Interact Business Group, vision has become reality for Dr. Karen Flannery, her staff and the Luzerne County Community College family.

Contact Points:

Karen A. Flannery, Ph.D.
Associate Dean
Workforce Initiatives and Public Safety Institute

1-800-377-5222 ext. 521 or 481

kflannery@luzerne.edu

 

Bill Booth

President and CEO

Interact Business Group

1-800-228-3710

bbooth@interactbusinessgroup.com

We Write Strategic/Business Plans for Public Safety Training Centers