Mid-State Technical College - School of Public Safety

Home
Mid-State Technical College - School of Public Safety

Call Directions Website Contact the organization

Train for a career that protects and serves your community. Graduates are prepared to step in when it matters most.

Programs feature real-world simulations, expert instructors, and hands-on training in fire, EMS, law enforcement, and emergency response.

02/11/2026

The Nexus Public Safety Center is more than a building. It's an investment in the people who protect our communities every day and the next generation preparing to follow in their footsteps. Through hands-on training, stronger partnerships, and shared resources, Nexus will help prepare first responders for the moments that matter most.

Together, we can build a safer, stronger central Wisconsin.

Learn more and support Nexus today: https://www.mstc.edu/about-us/foundation/community-partnership/nexus-public-safety-center

30/10/2026

Mid-State Technical College is proud to recognize the Mid-State Student Leadership Board for their contributions to support the Nexus Public Safety Center campaign.

Nexus will bring together Mid-State, the City of Stevens Point, and public safety agencies across the region in one shared training environment. The center will include Mid-State public safety training facilities, a new Stevens Point fire station, a satellite police station, and outdoor training areas where students and current professionals in fire, EMS, law enforcement, corrections, and emergency management can train together for real-world situations.

Contributions like this help move the project forward and strengthen the support behind a facility that will serve communities throughout central Wisconsin.

26/10/2026

At our Agriculture Rescue Training this past weekend, we were able to continue an established program that supplies 4-gas meters to agencies that send three or more people to the training. The program is generously supported by the Mike Biadasz Farm Safety and Education Memorial Fund and the National Farm Medicine Center.

On August 15th, 2016, Mike Biadasz was agitating a large outdoor manure pit on the family farm when he was fatally overcome by hydrogen sulfide gas. After that tragedy, Mike’s family established a gas monitor program to help prevent other families from enduring the same kind of tragic experience.

The meters supplied by the Agriculture Rescue Training program are intended to keep both first responders and agricultural community members safe.

To learn more about Mike’s story, visit: https://tellingthestoryproject.org/mike/

25/10/2026

A training session like we had the last couple of days doesn’t happen without great sponsors, great partnerships, and leadership. A big THANK YOU to our sponsors:
S&R Truck Equipment
Hastreiter Industries
LifeLink III
Pittsville Fire Company
Allied Cooperative
Heiman’s Holsteins
Heeg Farms
Alliant Energy
Hub City Wind Farm
CHS
Wood County Central Fire Rescue Association
Mike Biadasz Farm Safety & Education Memorial Fund
Nelson-Jameson Foundation
Hay Creek Companies
Heinzen Printing
Nieman’s Service
Allenton Fire Department
National Farm Medicine Center
Marshfield Clinic Research Institute
Crockett Septic
Minor Trucking
Doug and Diane Mundt
MacQueen Emergency
Hahn Transportation
The Anderson’s
Dinges Fire Company
Andrew and Sarah Yerke
Mark and Betty Yerke
Walinga
Auction of Champions
Kwik Trip
Wal-Mart

To all of the volunteer instructors and command staff that make this a great learning experience, thank you! Your selfless dedication to this event is greatly appreciated.

The partnerships with Pittsville Fire Company and the National Farm Medicine Center were instrumental in making this work. Thank you to all involved from those organizations for making this training a huge success.

To Heiman’s Holsteins, thank you for allowing us continued access to your farm for this training. We appreciate your willingness to work around us while you continue your amazing operations.

Chief Jerry Minor from Pittsville Fire Company and Brenda Hudak from Mid-State Technical College were the heartbeat, the engine, and the leadership that brought this opportunity together. Thank you to both for their tireless hours paying attention to every detail that many wouldn’t even think of. Incredible passion on display!

25/10/2026

The fifth of the five hands-on stations at yesterday’s Agricultural Rescue Training was Manure Pit Rescue. A manure pit rescue involves recovering a victim from a dangerous, oxygen-deficient, or toxic enclosed agricultural waste storage structure.

Over half of all manure pit fatalities involve would-be rescuers, often family members or coworkers who are overcome by invisible, lethal gases the moment they enter. Decomposing manure releases hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), methane, carbon dioxide, and ammonia. Hydrogen sulfide deadens the sense of smell at high concentrations and causes instant unconsciousness. Oxygen depleted environments can be created when gases displace available oxygen, leading to rapid asphyxiation. Gas concentrations spike dramatically when manure is stirred, pumped, or agitated.

Students learned about atmospheric monitoring, the use of equipment for the entry into a confined space, and victim extraction.

25/10/2026

The fourth of the five hands-on stations at yesterday’s Agricultural Rescue Training was equipment extrication. Students utilized a variety of types of basic hand tools and advanced extrication tools. A variety of farm implements were on hand and a variety of different scenarios requiring stabilization and extrication were presented. A big thank you to MacQueen for having their extrication tools on site for students to use.

25/10/2026

The third of today’s five hands-on evolutions at the Agriculture Rescue Training was Tractor Rollover. Students used a variety of simple and technical tools to stabilize, immobilize, and raise tractors to free trapped victims. One of the primary tenets taught is that the tractor needs to be re-stabilized every time a movement is made, even if it’s an eighth of an inch.

25/10/2026

Here is a point of view video that was taken today in the grain bin rescue training evolution. Flight paramedic Steph Kumm wore a GoPro when she volunteered to be the victim and was partially engulfed in corn. The video shows the firefighters placing a cofferdam around her and then using an auger to remove the product from around her. This is some great perspective!

24/10/2026

The second of five hands-on stations today was Large Animal Emergency Rescue. Students learned to safely extricate live large animals (such as horses and cattle) from hazardous situations like mud, trailer wrecks, barn fires, ditches, or ice. A variety of simple tools were used to learn to stabilize, roll, and move the animal manikins.

24/10/2026

One of today’s five hands-on stations is grain bin rescue, used to save a person trapped, engulfed, or submerged inside an agricultural grain bin. Entrapment can occur in a matter of seconds, creating extreme pressure. The weight and friction of the grain exert crushing force on the chest and body—often making extraction require 700 to 1,000 pounds of force and restricting breathing.

The Rescue Process

• Shut Down Equipment: Immediately turn off and lock out/tag out all unloading augers and fans to stop further grain movement.
• Air Quality Check: Test the internal atmosphere to ensure oxygen levels are safe (at least 19.5%).
• Insert Rescue Tubes: Rescuers slide interlocking metal or plastic panels (cofferdam) around the victim to form a protective barrier that relieves grain pressure.
• Evacuate Grain: A specialized grain auger is used to pump out the grain trapped inside the protective tube, lowering the level around the victim. Today’s students also had a chance to work with a new vacuum system that is used to extract the grain once the tubes are in place.
• Extraction: Once pressure is relieved and the person can move, they are safely lifted out—an operation that averages about 3.5 hours from the arrival of first responders.

Today’s training occurred in a grain bin rescue prop and also included an opportunity to see all of the workings of an operating grain bin on the farm.

Address

Telephone

+17154225473

Website

https://www.mstc.edu/programs-and-courses/find-your-program/academic-schools/school-of-public-safety

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Mid-State Technical College - School of Public Safety posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.