Does the thought of climbing an 100-foot ladder excite you? Would you like to use the “Jaws of Life” to cut through a car? Have you ever dreamed about leading a fire company into a burning building? If so, then the Merrill Fire Department would like to invite you to its inaugural Citizens Fire Academy. The Citizens Fire Academy is an opportunity to get an inside view of the Merrill Fire Department by learning about the services offered by the fire department.
Being a Firefighter is not just about dousing flames. The Merrill Fire Department Citizen’s Fire Academy is a learning program for people who want to know more about their Fire Department. It is the desire to increase awareness about the Merrill Fire Department with local residents, while increasing your fire and safety awareness.
“This program will let those residents become well-informed citizens who can become more involved with the long-term safety of our community,” noted Merrill Fire Chief Dave Savone. “We will demonstrate the day to day operations of the Fire Department.”
Academy topics will include: Orientation-Fire Service, Fire Apparatus Operations, Auto Extrication, Special Operations, Fire Safety, Emergency Medical Service (EMS), Fire Hose and Ladder Operations, Search and Rescue, Communications and much more.
The first class begins on Sept. 7, and meets every Thursday for 10 weeks from 6-8 p.m. Applicants must be at least 21 years of age. Applications are available at the Merrill Fire Department Website http://www.ci.merrill.wi.us/fire. Return applications to [email protected] via email, fax 715-536-8334 or drop it of at the Merrill Fire Station, 110 Pier St. The Academy is limited to 12 participants.
During 2010, the Merrill Fire Department along with the fire departments of Antigo, Wausau, Weston and Rhinelander, hosted the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) Fire Ops 101 program. Fire Ops 101 was a program that provided elected officials and the media with a hands-on opportunity to better understand the complexities of what a fire department does on a daily basis. The program took place over an eight hour period with both classroom and hands on experiences. The following year the same program took place in the Marshfield area.
Moving forward, the Merrill Fire Department had decided to present a Citizen Fire Academy (CFA) in 2015 followed by a student Fire Academy at the High School in 2016. For 2017, the department has been in the process of designing a 10-session program.