New Castle County has a new training ground for the people who race toward emergencies instead of away from them. The county dedicated an Emergency Vehicle Operators Course covering 14 acres next to the Kirkwood Soccer Complex on River Road near New Castle, giving police officers, firefighters, paramedics and other first responders a dedicated space to sharpen their driving skills under pressure.
The course was dedicated Wednesday, according to WDEL, which reported that the facility is meant to prepare responders for the kinds of driving challenges they face on real calls, from tight turns to high-speed maneuvers. The New Castle County Division of Police, posting on Facebook, celebrated the opening as Delaware’s first emergency vehicle operations course.
County Executive Marcus Henry and Colonel James Leonard were among those who attended the opening celebration, along with public safety leaders, members of County Council and state officials, per the department’s Facebook announcement. The course is intended to provide dedicated space for specialized emergency vehicle operations training that law enforcement and first responders can use to build the skills needed in the field.
A Training Hub Years in the Making
The project traces back to May 2022, when county officials broke ground on the facility. At that time, the project was estimated to cost between $12 million and $15 million, according to Delaware Public Media, which reported the work would be paid for through a mix of federal, state and county funds.
The driving course sits within a broader New Castle County Public Safety Training Center, which is designed to serve Fire, EMS, Police and K-9 departments, per architecture firm MW Studios. The emergency vehicle course and an accompanying skills pad make up the first phase of that larger project, the firm notes.
What Comes Next
A second phase of construction is planned to add classrooms, K-9 training facilities and other amenities, WDEL reports. No timeline for that expansion was included in the available reporting.
New Castle County is not alone in building out this kind of infrastructure. In Sussex County, officials approved a conditional use allowing the Delaware State Police to build a similar course on a 21.5-acre site north of Millsboro, according to the Cape Gazette. That plan, approved by a 4-0 council vote with Councilman Steve McCarron absent, calls for a 400-by-800-foot paved training area, 38 parking spaces, a small building and an outdoor classroom. The Cape Gazette also reported that the course is expected to add up to 50 daily vehicle trips, meaning DelDOT determined no traffic impact study was required.
