Longtime business owner Keith Nichols didn’t have money in mind when he envisioned the Locked and Loaded Training Center opening at 205 N. Patrick across from Brookshire Brothers.
“Every school, police department and church is going to use this for free,” he said of the high tech firing range now located near downtown. Nichols said he wants to support the entities which do so much for local communities, offering nearby training to assist them in keeping everyone safe.
He is assisted in this by Risk Strategy Group’s Cody Martin and Dace Clifton, who act as consultants for the center. Nichols said he was introducedtothepairbyCottonwood Church’s Mike Fritscher.
“We were already working with entities with organizations Keith was targeting and realized our missions pretty much overlapped,” Martin said.
Martin is appreciative of the time and money Nichols has put into constructing the three training areas at Locked and Loaded.
He explained the system runs off a computer hooked to a projector. Attached to the projector is a camera pointed at the screen which can register laser activity. Participants are given modified airsoft guns, weighted to feel more realistic and using ‘green gas’ to provide recoil. These guns have laser activators which register shots on the screen, displaying either video feeds or games. (No actual projectiles are fired.)
Martin said there are hundreds of programs available and simulations can be crafted to match TCOLE elements, departmental training and scenarios.
Dublin School resource Officer Jacob Carpenter was particularly appreciative of the scenario building as a tech can tailor the feed during the exercise by clicking on options to develop the scenario. For example, the video can be of a disorderly subject and the tech can click buttons to have them flee or pull a weapon for different responses.
“I like having different scenarios we can run the officer through and talk about it versus doing it in real life on scene,” Carpenter said. “It will make each person a better officer and a better communicator.”
Carpenter said officers have to go through firearm training twice per year with SROs performing additional exercises.
“There’s always room for more training,” he said. “Any training we can get is very beneficial to us. It keeps us sharp and on point.”
Nichols is happy to be offering support to local department including Dublin PD. “It’s a great department as far as I’m concerned,” he said, indicating that first responders have always been great partners to KB Enterprise businesses.
Locked and Loaded also have equipment like vest and sensors to help groups like churches with training. Martin said the resources and training offered allow groups to spend their money on other needed resources.
Nichols said the firing ranges which have a variety of programs including balloon pop, hunting and other items will also be open to the public in 30 minute increments which can be booked through their website. Nichols tentatively plans for public hours to be noon to 8 p.m. with the mornings reserved for free training for local agencies.
The facility is in a demo mode through Oct. 18. People can come inside and try the tech for free if the big open sign is out front. (Guests are asked to limit time to 1520 minutes.) Although the training offered is invaluable, it can also be a lot of fun and Nichols has plans for birthday party options. “The tech is incredible,” Nichols said.
Nichols also plans to have CHL instructors come in for classes and wants to organize classes for things like engravingandleatherworking with equipment he has in a large classroom in the back.
For more information on Locked and Loaded, find their page on Facebook or call (254) 445-2567.