November 18, 2009 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (SH2009-65) FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION R. Steve Huffman Public Information Officer (251) 208-2857/Fax: (251) 208-2861 E-Mail: huffman@cityofmobile.org ELEVEN TO GRADUATE FROM CITIZENS FIRE ACADEMY The Mobile Fire-Rescue Department’s Citizens Academy will end its ten weeks of training with graduation ceremonies on Wednesday, November 18. Eleven members of the fifth Citizens Fire Academy, who have a new viewpoint of fire-rescue operations, will receive their certificates of achievement. The graduation is set to begin at 6 p.m. at the Mobile Gas Corporation Auditorium located at 2828 Dauphin Street. The class spanned ten weeks and covered all aspects of the fire and emergency medical service. Participants learned CPR, basic first aid, fire extinguisher use and rode along with firefighters and firemedics on actual emergency calls. Participants also rappelled from the four-story training tower, toured the 911 Communications Center and the Mobile harbor on board the department’s fire boat, the Phoenix. The purpose of the program is to increase understanding of the fire and emergency medical operations and to promote citizen interaction with the firefighters and firemedics of the department. The program is designed to enhance awareness of the department’s capabilities and limitations; develop realistic expectations of response times from the point of dispatch; and to develop a cooperative relationship between firefighters and the citizens they serve. Applications are being accepted for the next Academy; persons interested in applying for the next Citizens Academy can call the Media Relations Office at 208-2857, check the department’s website at www.cityofmobile.org/fire, or come by the departments Training Academy to obtain an application at 860 Owens Street. The next Academy is planned for sometime in the spring of 2010. ###