Plum’s Holiday Park Volunteer Fire Department will host its first Citizens Fire Academy for adults beginning in September.
The nine-week program, offered free of charge, will run from 7 to 10 p.m. Wednesdays from Sept. 18 to Nov. 13 at the fire station at 415 Old Abers Creek Road.
Anyone age 18 or older may apply. All equipment, gear, supplies and training materials will be provided.
The academy will be similar to the fire camp that the department has held for teenagers the past six summers. Since its start in the summer of 2018, 165 cadets have gone through it, said Alex Marcelewski, medical and community outreach officer.
The academy is intended to give the community an insider’s view of the volunteer fire service and its operation; allow everyday citizens to experience what it takes to be a volunteer firefighter with hands-on training scenarios and experiences; and help address the shortage of personnel for volunteer fire departments across the state by recruiting potential members and supporters in the community.
Participants will be able go on ride-a-longs with duty crews to actual incidents and see, up close, how volunteers make the difference in times of emergencies.
Six people had signed up for the academy as of July 31. While there is no minimum or maximum number, Marcelewski said the department would like to have at least 12 participants.
“That way we can break them into teams to work together like our firefighters do,” he said.
Applications are being accepted through Aug. 18. Requests for enrollment applications can be sent to Chief James Sims at info@holidayparkvfd.org.
Brian C. Rittmeyer is a TribLive reporter covering news in New Kensington, Arnold and Plum. A Pittsburgh native and graduate of Penn State University's Schreyer Honors College, Brian has been with the Trib since December 2000. He can be reached at brittmeyer@triblive.com.