CommonSpirit Health's former building in Douglas County found new life as a training facility for Colorado first responders on Wednesday.

The vacant 300,000 square foot building is scheduled to be demolished as the health care network prepares to begin construction on a new medical campus at the site. But before that begins, they offered the space to local SWAT team members, law enforcement and firefighters to train in keeping their community safe.

The Douglas County Sheriff's Office said they will use the space for several different exercises, including explosive ordinance disposal, K9 deployment, building clearing, crisis negotiation and more.

"The collaboration highlights the importance of cross-sector training with our public safety professionals," said Sheriff Darren Weekly. "Typically, we train in the same area or buildings. So, getting a change of scenery, not just for the operators to give them different problems to solve, but also for the dogs. The dogs can benefit from being in a different place to do their jobs as well."

"We're committed to being a good community partner, and we recognize the value of supporting law enforcement readiness and community safety," said Audre Bagnall, CommonSpirit Health Mountain Region Chief Strategy Officer.

The sheriff's office said the training will help ensure multiple agencies and specialized teams are prepared to work together in an emergency.