by David Chapman
Staff Writer
Between the moving boxes and piles of files that have yet to be organized, there’s plenty of emergency services training going on at P Building of Florida Community College at Jacksonville’s South Campus.
The facility recently underwent a $1 million renovation to add modern classrooms, more sophisticated labs, conference areas and overall more space for Emergency Medical Services Training to JFRD and other organizations. But for the next 6-8 months, it will double as office space for officials of the Fire Academy from the W1 Building on campus, which is now undergoing renovations.
The ties between the school and the City’s fire department have been ongoing for years and the latest steps will continue to benefit both organizations.
“FCCJ and JFRD have had a working relationship since the early ‘90s,” said Sheldon Reed, executive director of the Fire Academy of the South. “It’s been a good partnership.”
Reed, a former fire chief for Naples, was brought in at the beginning of the year by FCCJ to incorporate business and revenue models into the school’s numerous fire and emergency medical programs.
Doing so will help offset costs and potentially save programs that could fall on the chopping block due to a lack of State and federal funds in lean economic times.
“My goal is to make SBU’s (strategic business units) work in an entrepreneurial way,” said Reed. “Of course our key mission is to be able to respond to workforce needs, but we have to come up with new and innovative ways to accomplish that.”
With technology and medicine constantly evolving, the need for continuing education never ceases, said Reed, which is where the numerous services at P Building come in — for a fee. Constant training and education will be offered to JFRD personnel and outside organizations from different counties and in time, Reed said he hopes the for-profit program becomes a one-stop shop for such purposes.
For JFRD officials, the newly renovated P Building and its future focus on Emergency Medical Services will offer more space and a dedicated area for the branch of training.
“Having a place for just EMS Training will benefit the students,” said Elly Byrd, training division chief. “Right now there is a little bit of confusion because it was such a big move, but it’s going to really help.”
While students will go to the Fire Academy across campus for certain exercises, classroom activities will take place in P Building with upgraded equipment and classrooms.
The additional space in the building also houses a simulated emergency room and the cab of a rescue unit, both of which offer students a more realistic training experience.
More importantly, the dedicated space saves time and effort.
“Before, we always had to go find space, get the materials and set up everything,” said Capt. Terry Eaton, an instructor at the facility. “Now we have things in place and can just come in and go at it.”
More than $100,000 worth of medical equipment is housed in the facility between the three labs, said Eaton.
Around 40 students a day can be taught at the facility, but as many as 100 students can attend both training and continuing education in one of the 26 EMS Training classes.
Each class doesn’t exactly have the same equipment or space constraint, either, said Reed.
“You can only imagine all the equipment for each of those courses,” said Eaton. “Instead of finding room, unlocking it all, dragging it out and setting it up, it’s here ... it saves time.”
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