Events
Wake Tech Celebrates First Responders
RALEIGH, N.C. (June 18, 2019) - Several hundred local first responders “responded” to a special call today at Wake Tech Community College. They attended a celebration in their honor at the Public Safety Education Campus on Chapanoke Road in Raleigh. The college hosted “Thank a Hero,” an event to show police officers, firefighters, emergency medical technicians, and others who dedicate their lives to help people in need, how much they are appreciated.
Representatives from multiple local and state agencies attended the event, including the Raleigh Police Department, Cary Police Department, Wake County Sheriff’s Office, Raleigh Fire Department, Wake County EMS, NC State Highway Patrol, and NC Department of Correction.
The first responders were able to sign up for FirstNet, a nationwide public safety communications platform. The service helps first responders connect to the critical information they need in an emergency as well as day-to-day incidents. FirstNet is being built with AT&T in a public-private partnership with the First Responder Network Authority.
Wake Tech senior leaders, including President Scott Ralls, helped serve barbeque as a show of appreciation. There was also an ice cream truck, and music provided by radio stations 96.1BBB and 94.7 WQDR.
“Wake Tech is honored to serve our region’s law enforcement and public safety community,” said Dr. Ralls. “Today it is our privilege to say thank you for keeping our communities safe and secure.”
First responders also attended an information session about Wake Tech’s future Simulation and Tactical Response Center on the Public Safety Education Campus. Wake Tech wants their input on the new facility, scheduled for construction in 2024. It will include a 4D Immersive Interior Training Lab with a two-story streetscape for active shooter training. Wake County voters approved funding for the center last fall.
Thank a Hero was sponsored by AT&T and Curtis Media.
Wake Tech’s Public Safety Education Campus (PSEC) is a CALEA® Accredited Training Academy. The 100,000-square-foot facility offers more training technologies and components under one roof than any other facility of its kind. The campus opened in 2008 to provide training for law enforcement and corrections officers, fire and rescue personnel, EMS technicians, and SBI and Homeland Security personnel. Wake Tech was the first community college in North Carolina – and the second in the nation – to earn the CALEA accreditation.
