NW Campus academy turns 20

     Dr. Leonardo de la Garza, TCC Chancellor, announced a $10 to $12 million budget for new public safety facilities at last Wednesday’s 20th anniversary celebration of the Police Academy on NW Campus.

     The planning committee is currently wagering bids on a new fire tech building on NW but say that other programs may be located on other campuses.

     “Our goal is to create an all-encompassing public safety training program,” de la Garza said.

     The planning committee is currently in the stage of narrowing down architects. A contract is expected by early January.

     The facility will give trainees the chance to deal with several different types of fires in one room.

     The building utilizes computer technology to monitor where and when burning propane will be pumped into the room.

     “We went to several other fire training facilities and asked them what they liked best about their facility and what they’d like to change and used what they told us to design our own,” de la Garza said.

     A team of TCC officials, including de la Garza, traveled to other facilities across the nation to find the best match to meet TCC’s and the metroplex’s needs.

     Currently the campus houses a tower, which allows fire fighters to practice maneuvers.

     Other projects include a heating/refrigeration/air-conditioning tech building on South Campus. Plans for the facility tentatively are scheduled to be ready by the third week of January.