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APPLICATION FOR PURCHASE OF REAL PROPERTY AT CENTENNIAL PARK AT PUBLIC BENEFIT ALLOWANCE Page 2 4. Pr6posed Program for Facilities Requested A. The City of Santa Ana proposes to use the 4.0 acres of unimproved land in Centennial Park for a police/fire training facility. This proposal is the culmination of a four-year search for an appropriate site for the police/fire training facility. The proposal provides for the much needed training facility while maintaining the recreational opportunities for the public. The police/fire training facility would serve a maximum of 60 police personnel in training, 40 fire academy students in training and various other support staff. The facility would consist of four classrooms, a physical fitness training center, a pistol range, administrative offices, a video studio, and a library. The fire and police departments in Santa Aha are among the largest in Orange County. As the seat of county government and the second largest city in Orange County, Santa Aha has an extraordinary need for a large, well trained public safety force. This need can only be met by consistent and routine training of fire and police personnel. Currently the fire suppression personnel training is conducted at one of the only two facilities in the county. The facilities are used jointly by 17 fire departments and Rancho Santiago College, totalling over 200 fire units. The training program at each facility is determined by the partners operating that facility. The philosophy of training at each facility is different and neither address the unique needs of Santa Aha since the City is not a partner. Tile police department currently has fragmented in-service training facilities due to a lack of a permanent location to conduct classes. Officers often travel as far as San Jose or San Diego for training that could have been accomplished locally if the facilities were available. The need for a training facility in the City is particu- larly acute because the police department has the largest number of narcotics and other specialized units in the county. The Santa Ana Police Department makes the most arrests, has the most officers in special units, and contributes the most officers to outside training of any police department in the county. A City police training facility would provide a location for uniform special- ized training.