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Youngstown air base, Kent State propose joint safety, medical projects
VIENNA
Kent State University at Trumbull is developing a multimillion-dollar Public Safety, Security and Environmental Health Institute, a training complex for police and firefighters, which includes a firing range.
The 910th Airlift Wing at the Youngstown Air Reserve Station is second on the Department of Defense’s list for funding a multimillion-dollar enclosed firing range, said Air Force Lt. Col. Wes White, commander of the 910th Security Force Squadron.
Under the Air Force Community Partnership Program initiative, the two organizations are working together to possibly share the Air Force firing range and the other entities proposed for KSU at Trumbull’s training complex to their mutual financial benefit.
George Brown, consultant for the KSU at Trumbull, said the university has the acreage needed and is centrally located among a number of smaller police and fire departments that don’t have the resources to develop such a training site.
The discussed partnership between YARS and KSU was among several potential Air Force-community partnerships developed over the past few months and discussed Thursday during an all-day planning session at YARS.
Other possible partnerships are airfield services, such as snow and rubber removal from runways and mowing and sharing equipment with civilian departments; combined medical training, in which Air Force personnel would get real-world training, as opposed to simulation at Mercy Health hospitals; education, in which local universities would adapt course offerings and schedules to accommodate personnel at YARS to enable them to work toward completing degrees; and blight removal, in which Air Force personnel could obtain training in demolition and operating equipment while helping governmental entities eliminate blighted properties.
The Air Force Community Partnership Program is designed to “change the mindset” and get Air Force installations and their host communities working together to achieve things they couldn’t do by themselves, said Air Force Reserve Maj. Tara Richards, a partnership broker for the program.
“A lot of hard work has gone into this program to make YARS and communities better,” said Col. James D. Dignan, commander of the 910th.
“None of these initiatives are done deals at this point,” but the process is moving forward, Dignan said.
After the discussion of the community partnership program was a presentation about the Ohio Federal Military Jobs Commission created last fall by the Ohio Legislature.
The commission’s focus is to enhance Ohio’s competitive position to retain, grow and leverage jobs associated with Ohio’s significant military and federal installation assets.