| ITEM #: 1. DATE: 12/05/2022 AI #:1010 |
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CITY COUNCIL ACTION REPORT
| SUBJECT: | PUBLIC SAFETY TRAINING FACILITY FEASIBILITY STUDY |
| STAFF PRESENTER(S): | Paul Luizzi, Interim Deputy City Manager |
OTHER PRESENTER(S):
Daniel Matoba, RDG Planning & Design
Summary
One of the 2022 City Manager goals, as established by Council, was to conduct a Public Safety Training Facility Feasibility Study. The fire and police department worked with Interact Business Group to develop a feasibility study to determine whether it would be financially and operationally beneficial to build a public safety training facility. Staff will review the findings of the study and seek Council input and direction on their vision for a future training facility. (Paul Luizzi, Interim Deputy City Manager)
FISCAL IMPACT
The Public Safety Training Facility is not included in the currently adopted Capital Improvement Plan. Due to the size, scope and cost of the project it will be proposed for potential inclusion in the CIP phased over several years.
BACKGROUND AND PREVIOUS ACTIONS
During the City Manager performance review in 2021, City Council recommended that the city look at the feasibility of building the city's own public safety training facility. The city of Goodyear has only worked internally on a charrette process for a public safety training facility over 20 years ago and it never anticipated when the facility would be built or where the facility would be located.
STAFF ANALYSIS
Over the last 15 years there have been four regional training facilities constructed, Phoenix, Glendale, Chandler and Gilbert. Three of those facilities are being used for both police and fire training along with other outside partner agencies. Currently, the police and fire departments do not have a dedicated training facility within the city of Goodyear.
The fire department conducts their training in a variety of areas; new recruits attend one of the five Life Safety Council approved recruit training facilities. Over the last 15 years, new recruits have attended the 14-week, new recruit training at the Glendale Regional Public Safety Training Facility. Training for incumbent firefighters occurs either at fire stations, fire administration training room, the shared training facility in Avondale, or “westside training” which occurs quarterly in Glendale, at their public safety training facility. Specialty training for our hazardous materials team occurs either in Phoenix as part of a regional specialty teams training or at various stations in the city.
The police department conducts their training at various facilities; new recruits attend one of three Police Officer Standards and Training certified academies. Over the past 5 years, seventeen recruits have attended the 24-week academy at one of the three available law enforcement certified training facilities, including Maricopa County Sheriff Training Academy, Phoenix Regional Training Academy and the Glendale Community College Law Enforcement Training Academy. However, in 2021, the Goodyear Police Department was notified that the Phoenix Regional Training Academy would no longer be available.
Continued in-service training for officers occurs at the operations building, the Phoenix airport located in Goodyear, local businesses and the Joe Foss shooting range. This type of decentralized training for both departments is functioning, and they are meeting the minimum requirements for their jobs.
As both departments increase in size over the next several years there will be an increasing need for the city to design and construct a public training facility to meet the training needs that will be required for the staff. As part of the feasibility of this project, we completed a regional survey to test the viability of regional interest and received a majority of positive responses from the cities of Buckeye, Avondale, Surprise, Peoria, Glendale, Chandler in addition to Arizona Fire and Medical Authority and Buckeye Valley Fire District and utility partners such as Southwest Gas and healthcare partner Abrazo West Hospital.
The fire department conducts their training in a variety of areas; new recruits attend one of the five Life Safety Council approved recruit training facilities. Over the last 15 years, new recruits have attended the 14-week, new recruit training at the Glendale Regional Public Safety Training Facility. Training for incumbent firefighters occurs either at fire stations, fire administration training room, the shared training facility in Avondale, or “westside training” which occurs quarterly in Glendale, at their public safety training facility. Specialty training for our hazardous materials team occurs either in Phoenix as part of a regional specialty teams training or at various stations in the city.
The police department conducts their training at various facilities; new recruits attend one of three Police Officer Standards and Training certified academies. Over the past 5 years, seventeen recruits have attended the 24-week academy at one of the three available law enforcement certified training facilities, including Maricopa County Sheriff Training Academy, Phoenix Regional Training Academy and the Glendale Community College Law Enforcement Training Academy. However, in 2021, the Goodyear Police Department was notified that the Phoenix Regional Training Academy would no longer be available.
Continued in-service training for officers occurs at the operations building, the Phoenix airport located in Goodyear, local businesses and the Joe Foss shooting range. This type of decentralized training for both departments is functioning, and they are meeting the minimum requirements for their jobs.
As both departments increase in size over the next several years there will be an increasing need for the city to design and construct a public training facility to meet the training needs that will be required for the staff. As part of the feasibility of this project, we completed a regional survey to test the viability of regional interest and received a majority of positive responses from the cities of Buckeye, Avondale, Surprise, Peoria, Glendale, Chandler in addition to Arizona Fire and Medical Authority and Buckeye Valley Fire District and utility partners such as Southwest Gas and healthcare partner Abrazo West Hospital.