Demand has increased for public safety training in the last year following a 16-month pause at the state's training facility in central New York due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Gov. Kathy Hochul's office on Wednesday announced more than 8,000 public safety professionals — ranging from law enforcement, fire service and emergency management — received training at the facility last year. 

The training push comes has New York officials at the state and local level have sought to expand the ranks of volunteer organizations, including firefighters and ambulance services. 

The State Preparedness Training Center, which first opened in 2006, is operated by the State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services. 

"Public Safety is my administration's top priority, and the State's world-class training facility in the Mohawk Valley works year-round to enhance response capabilities for thousands of New York's first responders and emergency personnel," Hochul said. "We will continue to open our doors at the SPTC throughout the year in 2023 and beyond to any public safety agency - providing essential services and training that will help keep New Yorkers safe."

Hochul also wants to expand the ranks of first responder organizations in New York as retention and recruitment struggles continue this year. She has proposed allowing communities to offer modest pay to volunteer firefighters and create a state fund to cover some costs that come with core training for firefighters. 

Hochul also wants the fund to offset some wages that volunteers do not receive when they miss work due to training. 

"Part of the core mission at the Division is delivering quality training to New York's public safety and emergency management officials," Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Commissioner Jackie Bray said. "New York's risk profile is becoming more diverse each year, which means our State's public safety partners must be trained to respond to a huge variety of emergency scenarios. I encourage New York's public safety professionals to take advantage of all the courses the SPTC has to offer in 2023."