When a 911 call comes in at 2 a.m. in rural Lee County — or a structure fire breaks out on a farm road in Harnett — the response depends entirely on the preparation of whoever shows up. Now, with $5.8 million in newly secured federal funding, Central Carolina Community College is building a Fire Rescue & EMS Training Facility designed to serve as the regional training backbone for public safety departments across its three-county footprint.
The investment addresses a widening gap. Population and economic growth across Chatham, Harnett, and Lee counties have accelerated demand for qualified firefighters and emergency medical technicians, while rural departments, many of them volunteer or part-time, face the same workforce challenges without the same access to training infrastructure that larger urban systems enjoy.
“It’s an investment in the safety of every resident in our three-county service area,” said Interim Associate Vice President for Workforce Development & Continuing Education Roy E. Allen in a press release…