Fire Department's Citizen Academy
The City of Two Rivers hosts a Citizen Academy yearly for Two Rivers residents. Personnel from the Fire Department, Police Department, Recreation Department, Utilities Department, Finance Department, and City Government present an eleven week program for up to fourteen local citizens. The program has three main goals: to afford the participant the experience and exposure to some of the "inside workings" of city departments, thus providing them a working knowledge of our management, operations, and procedures. It also provides participants a unique opportunity to learn about who we are and what we do, hopefully enabling them to strengthen their community support and involvement. Additionally, it allows city departments to learn from the participants their perspectives, observations, and personal experiences which can serve as valuable resources for shaping the future of city government.
Classes are held in the Fall of the year on Tuesday evenings from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. This year the Fire Department participates in weeks 2, 3, and 4 of the program. In week 2, academy participants are presented with fire orientation and recruit training. They perform practical skills of hose-line deployment, ladder use, and search and rescue operations while completely outfitted in firefighter turnout gear. Week 3 focuses on Emergency Medical Services with hands on skills such as, extricating a victim from a vehicle using the "Jaws-of-life," patient treatment and transportation in the ambulance, and practicing advanced life support skills, i.e. IV therapy, intubation procedures, and cardiac monitoring. A simulated fire scenario concludes the fire portion of the program in week 4. Participants are assigned roles and actually respond to a simulated structure fire where they utilize the skills learned in week 2.
To conclude the program, participants, volunteer instructors, and Academy Alumni are invited to a graduation banquet in the eleventh week. The graduation includes a dinner and program that consists of a media presentation, awards, and an opportunity for the participants to reflect on their experiences. At the banquet, the Fire Department presents awards to those individuals who excelled in the program.
