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Public Safety Campus

Project Overview

The 42-acre campus with about 100,000 square feet of training facilities is being developed along east 60th Street at Sycamore Avenue. In September 2020, the City Council voted unanimously for approval of bonding $50 million for development, design, and construction of the campus. We are now in the construction phase of the project, with completion targeted in the fall of 2023.

Flythrough of Public Safety Campus

“The new training facility is more than just an investment in physical infrastructure; it’s an investment in people.” – Retired Police Chief Matt Burns

Project Details

Based on master-planning work completed in 2018, the design by WSKF Architects, Abercrombie Planning & Design and local engineering partners includes:

Administration/Training/Dispatch Facility (approximately 40,000 sq. ft.): Administrative offices, classroom space, a structurally reinforced dispatch center known as a PSAP (public safety answering point) serving Sioux Falls and Minnehaha County. The facility is also designed to serve as an emergency operations center (EOC) to serve as a multi-agency base of operations in managing the response to natural disasters and other such events.

Fire Training Structures (approximately 22,700 sq. ft): Burn towers and structures replicating residential and commercial building styles commonly found locally to create a realistic and dynamic training ground for first responders. Front-line fire and police personnel will keep their skills and instincts sharp in a scenario village where crews train in an ever-changing environment of real-world conditions.

Firearms Training Building (approximately 17,750 sq. ft): This training facility provides 15 lanes for live-fire firearms training. The facility will be equipped with light and sound control to create real-world training conditions.

Emergency Vehicle Operations Course (EVOC)/Skills Pad (track and pad covering about 13 acres): Large paved course where fire/EMS apparatus drivers and police officers hone vehicle driving skills, vehicle safety, vehicle pursuit tactics and other scenarios.

Storage and Maintenance Building (approximately 17,600 sq. ft.): Facility with two vehicle maintenance and five apparatus storage bays as well as training equipment storage, outdoor classrooms and related support space.

While the campus will be one of the largest and most robust facilities of its kind in the Midwest, the real focus and investment is in people and preparedness. Metro Communications dispatchers who now handle an annual emergency call volume of about 328,000 calls will direct the needed resources housed in this leading-edge facility, and will be using the latest generation of communications equipment. From cadets achieving initial certification to seasoned public safety personnel elevating their training and skills, the campus will foster preparedness through classroom learning and tactical training. The same is true of first responders from other regional agencies who will also use the campus.