The events of 9/11 inspired many men and women to pursue careers in public safety.
Friday afternoon, Southwestern College dedicated its new $29.1 million dollar Public Safety Training Center on its Otay Mesa campus.
The facility will be the new home of fire science, EMT/paramedic and police academy programs.
Southwestern College has been training future firefighters, police officers and paramedics for more than 30-years. The expansion will become the training hub for San Diego’s first responders.
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Chelsea Lansang is a paramedic student who just started the rigorous 14-month education program. She was a child in 2001 when terror attacked America.
“Being eight years old when this happened and now being a part of the first responders, to be a part of this family and community. It hits a little bit differently,” she said.
Southwestern College says it has a 100-percent job placement rate for students who complete classes and curriculum in its emergency services programs. Even as the pandemic proceeded last year, the school returned to in-person learning just six weeks after the nation-wide shutdown with extreme COVID 19 precautions. School officials say the action was necessary in order to maintain the integrity of its curriculum.
The new training center was funded by a $400 million general obligation bond approved by voters in November 2016. The money is being used for construction, reconstruction, and modernization of facilities on the main campus in Chula Vista and campuses in National City and San Ysidro, as well.
