VIDEO: Bainbridge becoming a hub for South Georgia's first responders

• Why Bainbirdge is becoming a hub for first responders training.
• Bainbridge Public Safety Training center has agencies from neighboring counties traveling near and far for state of the art training in their own backyard.
• Watch this story to learn how this training center is supporting first responder and police training in South Georgia.

BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:

Bainbridge is slowly becoming a hub for first responder training.

Tuesday, it was about Arson training.

WTXL reporter AJ Douglas was at the Bainbridge Public Safety Training center to get a look at hands-on training that has firefighters traveling from neighboring counties.

"The city of Thomasville supports the Bainbridge Public Safety Training Center,” said Corey Thompson, the chief of training for Thomasville Fire and Rescue.

Grateful.

That's how Chief of training for Thomasville Fire and Rescue Corey Thompson says he feels.

The reason?

This state of the art training opportunity is just a short drive west on Highway 84 in Decatur County.

"Three and a half hours away,” according to Thompson.

Tuesday Bainbridge Public Safety's fire department hosted arson training modules for departments near and far.

It's been a little over a year since Bainbridge Public Safety completed the fire training tower on your screen.

This structure helps a fire department create real life scenarios.

“That's what we built the facility for.. To have training here in South Georgia,” said assistant fire chief Ryan Deen for Bainbridge Public Safety.

While the Associated Press reports that police departments in rural Georgia are pushing for higher pay in the meantime, people like assistant fire chief Ryan Deen, said having a local training center saves departments as an extra buck.

"Not having to pay the extra money to have students pay for rooms somewhere else. [Instead] we're here at home.

Thompson said the most import part of these periodic hands-on training is to –

"We have to make sure our staff understands these things to protect our community,” said Thompson.

The training center will begin hosting more classes for the police academy in partnership with Georgia Public safety training beginning next year.