CHALLENGE

As the only community college in North Carolina to hold the CALEA® accreditation, the gold standard in public safety training schools, Wake Tech Community College is committed to excellence in their law enforcement training program. The CALEA® accreditation strengthens the academy’s accountability through a continuum of standards that clearly define authority, performance, and responsibilities. Seeing the great success other public safety education institutions around the country have had with flexible safety training systems, Wake Tech wanted to follow suit and offer their students more ways to train and prepare for their careers in law enforcement.

SOLUTION

Having past success with Hufcor’s FlexTact™ product at another case study in Fort Wayne, Indiana, the Schenkel Shultz design team once again consulted with Hufcor to design and engineer a FlexTact™ system for Wake Tech Community College’s new public safety training academy.

The system’s 40’ x 52’ overhead grid allows the walls to be reconfigured into an almost endless number of room scenarios. The Wake Tech facility included many enhancements to the FlexTact™ system including a custom, marbled high-pressure laminate finish that helps to diffuse reflections and shadows on the panels during exercises. In addition, the system is equipped with overhead cameras that record training sessions so instructors and trainees may watch and critique playbacks of the sessions after they’re complete. Feedback and review helps to enhance the learning experience by providing immediate corrective demonstrations to trainees.

In the field, high liability situations are almost always performed in loud conditions. As such, WTCC installed overhead lighting and audio systems to replicate true environmental simulations that increase the realism of the training sessions.  In addition, WTCC installed a series of “Notta” Line foam furnishings to be used as props that would further enhance their scenario-based training exercises.

RESULT

Wake Tech Community College’s law enforcement program has successfully enhanced their active shooter and force-on-force training programs through the implementation of FlexTact’s flexible training system. This reconfigurable wall system helps the college provide critical added-value training to their students so they’re prepared for the unpredictable and can better protect and serve their communities as officers in the field.