Wiregrass Public Safety Center will offer safety certifications for women

DOTHAN, Ala. (WTVY) - Since the Wiregrass Public Safety Center’s grand opening, members of the public have been invited to take advantage of the state-of-the-art training facility.

“Most people don’t think about things that could happen until it happens what we are using this facility for and what we’re using this program for is to teach people to prepare to have a plan in the event something happens they know what to do,” says WPSC executive coordinator Jason Wright.

A new program - The Women’s Safety Initiative – is offering a series of free safety certification classes.

The program will teach participants the building blocks to defend themselves and the confidence to do so.

These skills will be mastered through R.A.D. which stands for Rape Aggression Defense Training.

“It’s not meant to make you a MMA fighter or a martial artist. It’s meant to use certain techniques to defend yourself to hurt that person to incapacitate them long enough for you to run away,” says R.A.D instructor and Dothan Police Department sergeant Pete Markow.

R.A.D is a two part program. The first part is spent in the classroom, but the second part is hands-on training where women can perfect those defense strategies.

“It was fun attending the training to become an instructor but it’s even more fun when you take someone and you see that person that is apprehensive and then at the end they are like Bruce Lee,” says Markow.

The Women’s Initiative also teaches the training is fire arm safety.

“We want to make sure you are comfortable with the pistol. That’s one of the main things. If you’re not comfortable with your pistol then you are not going to shoot good. We’ll teach you the proper techniques. How to hold a pistol, trigger squeeze and the man thing we want to teach is safety. Be safe out here on the range and be safe at home,” says Dothan Police Corporal Andy Davis.

Women will also be trained in first aid and earn their CPR certification.

In the event something ever happens in their home, in their business or just a place here in the public they can be a person to help save a life before the first responders get there,” says Wright.

Organizer’s believe the program will make the community safer and better.

The training is sponsored by BankPlus.

Registration opens Monday and is limited to the first 30 women. For more information on how to sign up click here.

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