Preparing those who protect and serve the Temple community is about caring for the people who call it home: this new training facility equips police and fire teams to respond with confidence and a deeper commitment to the community they serve.
When emergency strikes, preparation becomes action in a heartbeat. What comes next often depends on the training first responders received long before a call comes in.
That understanding is guiding the City of Temple’s investment in an expanding public safety training campus for police and fire operations. One piece of the campus, the Simunition Shoot House is a versatile environment for realistic scenarios, cross-department collaboration and ongoing skill development.
Designed by FGMA as part of three new public safety training buildings, the project reflects a long-term commitment to the people who protect and serve the Temple community.
A Public Safety Training Facility Designed for Real-World Scenarios
The Simunition Shoot House gives police and fire department first responders a realistic environment in which to train for field conditions.
The facility supports tactical training and decision-making exercises for the Temple Police Department. A flexible kit wall systems allow instructors to reconfigure the space to create varied layouts of different sizes. A catwalk above the training floor allows trainers to watch and review exercises in real time and give immediate feedback. The training area has been used for:
- Building searches, tactical search procedures and room clearing
- Individual and team movement for patrol and tactical units
- Active shooter response, including ALERRT training
- Coordinated emergency operations
- Instruction in GST (Gracie Jiu-Jitsu) or ground fighting
- Taser certification and recertification
- Standardized Field Sobriety Test training
- Scenario-based training using non-lethal simulated ammunition
“As a SIM house it has allowed us to sharpen our skills and tactics, as room entries are seen from above, which provides a different view. Mistakes are observed quickly and, on the spot, corrections can be easily made,” said Temple Police Training Sergeant Christopher Miceli. “This building is like no other facility that we have access to.”
The same space is also available for Temple Fire & Rescue‘s search-and-rescue training. By introducing smoke and low-visibility conditions, firefighters can practice navigating structure fire environments and locating occupants.
Since the kit walls are movable, the facility’s flexible design also accounts for holding assembly and classroom-style trainings in the same location.
The facility’s exterior reflects the City of Temple’s goal to create a cohesive addition to the site, adjacent to an existing storage building. The design draws from the storage building’s materials, colors and straightforward character, helping the new facility feel connected to what was already in place while responding directly to the client’s priorities.
A covered breezeway links the two buildings and creates a shared space for gathering and breaks. Positioned between the structures, it offers shade and protection from the Texas sun while giving police and fire personnel a comfortable place to connect between training sessions.
“Projects like the Temple Public Safety Simunition Shoot House remind us that successful design is ultimately about the users’ operational goals,” said FGMA Design Principal Brian Meade. “Every space within this campus was designed to support training, coordination and confidence building. First responders face high-pressure situations, and to support and protect our protectors is an honor.”
Strengthening Coordination Between Police and Fire Departments
Public safety incidents often require multiple agencies to move as one. In those moments, effective response depends on communication, coordination and trust built long before an emergency begins. Shared training gives police officers and firefighters the opportunity to better understand one another’s roles, strengthen working relationships and prepare together for real-world scenarios.
From the earliest design conversations, the police and fire chiefs emphasized a vision of public safety as one family. Creating a space where departments can train side by side and share resources helps bring that vision to life while strengthening preparedness across the entire public safety system.
Expanding Temple’s Public Safety Training Campus
As part of Temple’s broader investment in public safety infrastructure and workforce development, FGMA designed three new buildings for the campus. The Simunition Facility is the first of those projects, followed by an indoor shooting range and a police training center. These new facilities build on the campus’s existing public safety infrastructure, which includes a fire station, fire training tower and storage building.
The program for the two additional buildings that are now under construction includes:
- A 50-yard indoor firing range and support spaces
- Tactical training spaces
- Classrooms and instructional areas
- Special Investigations and Training Unit suites
- Evidence and vehicle storage
- Locker rooms and common spaces
- K-9 suite and training grounds
- Indoor break room/gathering area
- Entry plaza and covered outdoor gathering areas
Landscaped walkways and shared plazas connect these environments, creating everyday opportunities for police and fire personnel to build relationships, strengthen coordination and prepare together. Those shared spaces support a larger goal: helping public safety teams work with trust when it matters most.
The site also extends readiness beyond traditional training. A dedicated skills pad provides a safe, controlled environment for refining driving and vehicle-handling skills, with site planning coordinated closely alongside the civil engineering team.
Investing in Community Safety Through Preparedness
While the campus serves first responders, its greatest impact extends throughout the Temple community, supporting the residents who rely on them during life’s most critical moments.
Realistic exercises, cross-agency coordination and ongoing professional development help communities build stronger emergency response capabilities. They provide public safety professionals with opportunities to refine skills, adapt to evolving challenges and work together more effectively.
“The Temple Police Department has become more proficient in building clearance from the patrol level to tactical teams, making it safer for the officers,” said Seargent Miceli.
As communities continue to grow and public safety needs evolve, training environments must evolve, too. Temple’s growing public safety training campus lays the groundwork for readiness, collaboration and community confidence for years to come.
Through the development of this public safety training campus, the city is investing in people who serve and protect the community, ultimately creating safer responses and a more resilient future.
Learn More About FGMA Public Safety Design
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