Prior to the spring demolition of Carlisle Hall, Ferris State University will make
the facility available for the training of police, fire and rescue personnel from
around the state.
The former Big Rapids campus residence hall will be made available to fire and law enforcement personnel during the months of February and March, said Captain Jim Cook, assistant director of Ferris' Department of Public Safety. During the university's spring break (March 9-18), the road that runs between Carlisle and the Rankin Student Center will be blocked off to allow space for equipment and vehicles. He further noted that residents near the east side of main campus may notice police and fire trucks in Lot 1, on campus, and along Ives Avenue.
“This is a good opportunity for many of these law enforcement and rescue personnel to undertake training on a college campus in a residence hall,” Cook said. “The personnel who will be training will have a chance to apply what they’ve learned in previous training to what they will encounter in a residence hall like Carlisle.”
Cook added that emergency responders will be training with training officers from agencies that are already National Fire Protection Association-certified.
Emergency responders from Big Rapids, Grand Rapids, Mount Pleasant and Muskegon will be among the areas that will be represented. This training opportunity is being offered to emergency response agencies in Region 6 of Michigan’s Homeland Security Regional training and funding area. Region 6 is made up of 13 counties in the central/west Michigan area.
Fire personnel from Big Rapids will conduct training on Feb. 6. During spring break, personnel from Grand Rapids, Mount Pleasant and Muskegon will undergo training that will include fire and hazardous material response. Area residents should not be alarmed at seeing emergency vehicles in this area throughout the two-month training period.
“We would like to thank the Ferris administration for allowing emergency response personnel the opportunity to train on the Carlisle Hall structure,” Cook said. “This building represents a typical resident hall that can be found on any university campus. Having the ability to train in an area that has numerous rooms off a central hallway is invaluable to any response agency dealing with a like building, be it a housing environment or healthcare.”