In September, the Valdosta Fire Department (VFD) will host its 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 September 7 and concluding on November 2.  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 Brian Boutwell 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 Chief Boutwell. “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 a Live Burn scenario, 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: PPE (Personal Protective Equipment)/Search and Rescue
Week 6: CPR/First Aid
Week 7: Georgia Search and Rescue (GSAR) and Extrication
Week 8: Live Burn and Firefighter Rehabilitation
Week 9: Final Review and Graduation

Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the program is limited, and social distancing efforts will be enforced. The deadline to apply is Friday, Aug. 20. 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].