In August, the Valdosta Fire Department will host its fifth annual Citizens Fire Academy designed to educate the residential and business communities about the services provided by the VFD, to increase fire and life safety awareness, and to establish community partnerships.

The academy is scheduled on nine consecutive Tuesday nights, from 6 to 9 p.m., beginning on Aug. 28 and concluding on Oct. 23.  All classes will be held at the Valdosta Regional Training Center located at 137 Blanchard Street unless otherwise stated.  Citizens must be at least 18 years of age and complete an application, background check, and release of liability form.  Although the program is free, Valdosta Fire Chief Freddie Broome will ask all participants for their commitments to attend all nine weeks of the program.

“The program comes at no cost to citizens and the only thing we ask for is their time,” said Fire Chief Broome. “This allows citizens to get an inside look into the fire services in the City of Valdosta. It’s a quality program and a unique experience that we have put a great deal of effort into making it successful.”

Participants will learn all aspects of the department’s operations, have an opportunity to participate in the VFD’s Ride-Along Program and will receive valuable life safety CPR certification training.  Program days are scheduled as followed:

Week 1: Orientation

Week 2: Introduction to VFD

Week 3: Communications

Week 4: Fire Prevention

Week 5: CPR/First Aid

Week 6: PPE (Personal Protective Equipment)/Search and Rescue

Week 7: Georgia Search and Rescue and Extrication

Week 8: Live Burn and Firefighter Rehabilitation

Week 9: Final Review and Graduation

The program is limited to 25 participants, and the deadline to apply is Thursday, Aug. 2. Download the VFD Citizens Fire Academy application or complete the online application form.

The Citizens Fire Academy is one of three extensive educational programs in the City of Valdosta—the other two are the Citizens Police Academy and the City Government 101 Citizens Orientation Program—designed to give citizens valuable knowledge of resources through a behind-the-scenes view of their local government.

For more information about the Citizens Fire Academy, call the VFD at 229-333-1835 or email [email protected].