By admin 
VALPARAISO, Ind. (WLS) — A unique nonprofit in Northwest Indiana is helping officers survive hostile streets.
The MAAC or Multi-Agency Academic Cooperative in Valparaiso, Indiana, is a decision-making center where real-life education takes place 24/7.
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Split-second video scenarios in a high-tech law enforcement classroom are among the survival training techniques that can save the lives of officers and the public. The facility is designed to give first responders the best chance in the worst scenarios.
Various training options include a simulator that can recreate 700 surreal scenarios – to help those tasked with making crucial decisions in tense, uncertain and rapidly evolving situations. And there is a clear need.
“So we have an average of 1,200 different training evolutions that are happening or classes that are happening here on campus. And we serve all agencies, all disciplines within the first responder community, from law enforcement of course to fire departments, but also public officers who serve our communities, including dispatchers, corrections, emergency management teams and many of our dogs,” explains Celina Weatherwax, president and CEO of MAAC or the Multi-Agency Academic Cooperative in rural Northwest Indiana.
She describes the nonprofit as a unique entity: free to use to train firefighters, EMTs and law enforcement. Participants learn to deal with physical and mental challenges.
“The model for us is very unique. We have not been able to identify any other organization as ours. We are not just a viable one-to-three nonprofit; such facilities are typically built and run by government agencies. That is not the intention.” In our situation, we have a board of directors that directs all the strategic initiatives and priorities that happen here,” she said.
The campus is built to resemble a small, walkable community with a 40-foot search and rescue tower and several homes.
MAAC also offers specialized programs for high school students who want to become firefighters. It’s early training for firefighters, with local high schools making it part of their curriculum; early training for any first responders who would undoubtedly be better positioned to safely enter the streets and return home in the evening.
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