Police and Fire Training on Campus Jan. 2

Millersville University will begin the demolition process of four houses along East Frederick Street on campus on January 15. Before the houses come down, the University has agreed to allow first responders to use the buildings for training.

“It makes sense to support our community and allow first responders access to the old buildings for training,” says Pete Anders, Millersville University Police Chief. “It’s a win-win for the University and local community and enhances the strong working relationships we have with other agencies. The State Police SERT team has trained our officers and local school resource officers on active shooter response. The training on the second will benefit over 20 troopers on their team response and give them additional familiarization with our campus community.”

Dauphin, Allegheny, Armstrong, and Susquehanna houses have been vacant and slated for demolition for some time. The Department of General Services finalized the demolition contract just before winter break.

On January 2, crews from Blue Rock Fire and the Pennsylvania State Police Special Emergency Response Team will use the four houses for training purposes. The University has supported similar training opportunities with first responders in previous demolition projects.

Thomas Waltz, associate vice president for facilities says removing the four buildings will help the University’s bottom line. “The University receives money to maintain buildings based on our enrollment and we are roughly 200,000 square feet over our allowance. Removing these four unused houses will be a savings financially and help reduce our surplus square footage.”

The first responders will be on campus 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 2.