The City of Fairfax Citizen Fire Academy Begins Sept. 26...Register Now!

The City of Fairfax Fire Department in conjunction with the City of Fairfax Professional Firefighters and Paramedics and Fairfax Volunteer Fire Department will be conducting the first citizen fire academy within the City of Fairfax. 

The Citizen's Fire Academy is open to persons 18 or older who either live or work in the City of Fairfax.  This 12-week program includes approximately 28 hours of instruction.  Sessions are approximately 2.5 hours in length and held at the Public Safety Training Center located at 9650 Colonial Avenue.  Class size will be limited to 16 students.  The first annual citizen fire academy will begin September 26, 2012.

The academy will conclude with a graduation ceremony during a December City
Council meeting. Academy graduates will receive a certificate of completion from
the City of Fairfax Fire Department.

Objectives

The academy is designed for adults to learn more about their fire department's organization and operations.  We hope to better inform the residents of the City of Fairfax as to the purpose and inner workings of the City of Fairfax Fire Department and to discover the diverse services the fire department offers our community.  We will encourage citizens to return to their friends, family, and neighborhoods to
relay proper procedures to become more safety conscious citizens.  We will provide an interactive forum for both the fire department and the citizens to share information.

Why a Citizen’s Fire Academy?

This program is designed for people who have a genuine desire to learn about the daily life of firefighters, who want to increase fire and life safety awareness, and who wish to increase the awareness of the services provided by the City of Fairfax Fire Department.

How much does the Academy cost?

There is no charge to participants.  All materials are provided.

When do classes meet?

Classes meet Wednesday evenings from 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM for 12 weeks.  Each class is 2.5 hours in length.

When does registration close?

Registration will close September 19, 2012.

Instructors

All class instructors are members of the City of Fairfax Fire Department and
are committed to providing appropriate & pertinent information to all
participants.  All instructors are Virginia Department of Fire Programs certified firefighters and certified in their field(s) of expertise.

Class Size / Selection of Participants

Class size is limited to 16 participants.  A larger group inhibits frequent interaction between participants and instructors.  SAFETY is of the utmost concern and limiting participants allows for a safer learning environment.

Citizens are selected based on demographics and citizen's ability to reach
other members in their community.  In preparing for the citizen fire academy, efforts will be made to include members of the educational, religious, and business community, as well as media representatives. Candidates are subject to general background checks.  Participants will be contacted to ensure they are familiar with the program and the time commitment involved.

It is imperative for the participants to realize the Citizens Fire
Academy is a learning experience to help handle themselves in emergency situations. It is not intended to train them as firefighters or to assist at a fire.

Measuring the Academy's Success

In order to keep the citizen fire academy informative and interesting;
participants are encouraged to critique the program throughout its
entirety.  Enhancements to the program will be implemented as a result of the feedback received from the participants.

Students are encouraged to participate in all practical demonstrations and
to interact with the instructors and one another.

To register you may visit http://fairfaxva.gov/firesafety/CitizenFireAcademy.asp

to complete the online registration.  You may contact Craig Evans at
571-308-2163 with any questions or concerns.  With your help we hope to make the first City of Fairfax Citizen Fire Academy a great success.