Tri-C is training a new generation of first responders

July 07, 2017

Northeast Ohio is facing a workforce shortage in a number of different fields. But few of those shortages are as worrisome as the impending shortage of first responders.

If communities have a shortage of police, fire and emergency medical staff, 911 response times lag – and in some cases, it can mean the difference between life and death.

Cuyahoga Community College has been training first responders at its Western Campus public safety facilities for nearly 40 years. But it wasn’t until 2014 that a partnership with KeyBank allowed the College to turn its public safety program into a model for all other colleges and academies in the state.

With the 2014 opening of the KeyBank Public Safety Training Center at the Western Campus, Tri-C positioned itself as a valuable resource for attracting, training and placing those entering the public safety field.

In doing so, Tri-C is helping to fill a growing need. Northeast Ohio’s communities will need an estimated 1,500 new public safety personnel by 2022 – just five years from now. There is an even more pronounced need for new public safety personnel who are African American, Hispanic and members of other minority populations.

Working Nation recently profiled the KeyBank Public Safety Training Center and its efforts to groom a new generation of first responders that is large enough and diverse enough to answer the needs of a changing region. The linked article also includes a short documentary video.