A new $95 million training academy for police officers, fire fighters and paramedics will be developed in Chicago’s West Garfield Park neighborhood, according to an announcement from the mayor’s office.
The city plans to build the academy on nearly 30 acres of vacant land located at 4301 W. Chicago Ave., the mayor announced. The new facility will allow first responders to receive specialized training to improve collaboration in emergency response and receive hands-on practice.
“Chicago’s new Public Safety Training Academy will provide much needed overhaul to the more than 40-year-old training facilities currently used, and allow police officers, fire fighters and paramedics to receive training based on the nation’s best practices,” Mayor Rahm Emanuel said in a statement.
The CPD Police Academy at 1300 W. Jackson was built in 1976, the Fire Prevention training facility at 1010 S. Clinton was constructed in 1950 and the Fire Academy South located at 1338 S. Clinton was developed in 1965.
The plans for the new facility include two buildings and an outdoor site development. The main building will include classrooms, labs, simulators, conference rooms, an auditorium and adminstrative offices. The second building will be used for a shooting range, active scenario training and a dive training pool. The outdoor site will have a driving course, skid pad and space for active scenario training.
The city plans to work with the Chicago Infrastructure Trust to select a developer to design, build and finance the project.
