The new Sioux Falls Public Safety Training and Dispatch campus will provide the city and entire region with new public safety facilities and infrastructure to elevate the preparedness and performance of front-line fire, EMS, police and dispatch personnel. The 42-acre campus with about 100,000 SF of facilities was developed after a master plan led by WSKF Architects. In September 2020, the Sioux Falls City Council voted unanimously for approval of bonding $50 million for development, design and construction of the campus.
The 40,000 SF Administration/Training/Dispatch Facility includes administrative offices, classroom space, a structurally reinforced dispatch center known as a PSAP (public safety answering point) serving Sioux Falls and Minnehaha County. The facility is also designed as an emergency operations center to serve as a multi-agency base of operations in managing the response to natural disasters and other such events.
The campus also includes a firing range, maintenance facility, outdoor classroom, urban search and rescue structure and EVOC driver training course. A 6-story burn tower with a wide range of burn props and other training buildings provide a robust and dynamic tactical training environment for first responders.