The Medicine Hat Catholic Board of Education recently secured more than $675,000 in grants for its new First Responders Academy. The new funding will allow the school division to build two separate labs with cutting edge technology to simulate real-life scenarios.--HANDOUT PHOTO
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The Medicine Hat Catholic Board of Education will now be able to purchase a 360-degree simulator, tactical training areas, drones and forensics identification equipment for its new First Responder Academy after securing more than $675,000 in government grants.
The academy is set to launch in September at Monsignor McCoy High School, and is the first academy in Alberta to provide students the necessary attributes, physical fitness and skills required for the demanding career as a police officer or firefighter.
The new grant funding was announced to trustees during the division’s annual budget presentation at the end of May.
A large portion of the funding – $500,000 – will be used for capital projects that include building two labs for students with equipment like simulators, tactical trainers and drones.
Nick Gale, deputy superintendent, says one lab will be built at McCoy while the other will be inside Medicine Hat Police Services headquarters, providing students an unparalleled hands-on learning experience.
“This is something that’s really going to provide, really a one-of-one experience for our students in Medicine Hat; this is the only type of experience available in the province for these types of opportunities, specifically I believe we’re the only one with a police background,” said Gale.
The new First Responder Academy will be launched for Grade 10-12 students at McCoy, and is a collaborative program with local police as well as Medicine Hat College.
“This partnership marks a new chapter in career education,” says superintendent Dwayne Zarichny. “This program is unlike any program in Alberta. We are deeply grateful for the grant and excited to collaborate with the Medicine Hat Police Service and Medicine Hat College to inspire and prepare the next generation of first responders.”
The division is in the procurement process for specialized training equipment and working with local police and designing the laboratory space, which will likely be a couple months before development is complete.
Gale says the division is working with police specific contractors to ensure the academy gets off to a good start.
“They are going to take a little while for us to get in,” explains Gale. “So Sept. 1 we may not have everything but we are going to try our best to have everything available for our students right away.”
Several local first responders provided advice for the academy, and Gale says during those meetings the topic of mental health and well-being came up frequently, He says the academy will also aim to prepare students for possible difficult situations they may encounter throughout their careers.
MHCBE is also working with the MHC to expand the academy by offering dual-credit opportunities as well as opening doors to the college’s criminal justice program.
“We want to provide our kids with the best opportunity they can to be career ready when they leave high school, or have a career focus in mind when they leave high school,” says Gale. “If you’re a kid that’s interested in policing, you have an unparalleled opportunity to experience that at McCoy High School that you can’t get anywhere else.
“I think this is going to serve our students in such a significant way, they get to have experiences that no one else is going to be able to have in a high school environment.”
