Atlanta, GA
From skid pad to train car: How the public safety training center is used
Atlanta officials say the $117 million facility is a game changer in allowing them to train `anytime … day or night, seven days a week.’
The Atlanta Fire Department hazmat team trains on a railcar train donated by Norfolk Southern at the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, Monday, May 11, 2026, in Atlanta, Ga. (Jason Getz/AJC)
The sprawling 85-acre facility used to train Atlanta’s police and firefighters includes a mock gas station, a train track with several rail cars, a firehouse, a horse stable, a seven-story burn tower and a 28-lane indoor shooting range.
Department leaders gave an hourslong tour of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center on Monday, the first in-depth look at the facility since it officially opened more than a year ago in southern DeKalb County.
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An Atlanta Police Department automobile trains on the Skid Pad at the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, Monday, May 11, 2026, in Atlanta, Ga. (Jason Getz/AJC)
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Atlanta Fire Department recruits line the road as the Atlanta Fire Department hazmat team trains on a railcar train donated by Norfolk Southern at the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, Monday, May 11, 2026, in Atlanta, Ga. (Jason Getz/AJC)
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Atlanta Police Department officers practice rappelling down the fire tower at the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center on Monday, May 11, 2026, in Atlanta, Ga. (Jason Getz/AJC)
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Atlanta Police Department officers simulate an arrest at the city portion of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, Monday, May 11, 2026, in Atlanta, Ga. (Jason Getz/AJC)
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The Atlanta Police Department trains on the gun range at the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, Monday, May 11, 2026, in Atlanta, Ga. (Jason Getz/AJC)
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