June 18, 2007 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (SH2007-39) FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION R. Steve Huffman Public Information Officer (251) 208-2857/Fax: (251) 208-2861 E-Mail: huffman@cityofmobile.org TWENTY-FIVE CITIZENS TO GRADUATE FROM FIRE ACADEMY The first Mobile Fire-Rescue Citizens Academy will end its ten weeks of training with graduation ceremonies on Tuesday, June 19, 2007. Twenty-five members of the first 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. in the auditorium at Mobile Gas Corp. located at 2828 Dauphin Street. The diverse group of graduates range in ages from 25 to 70 with varied backgrounds that include homemakers, Civil Engineers, business owners, community leaders, reporters, teachers, the Assistant to the Chief of Staff for the City of Mobile and Commissioner of the Mobile Area Water and Sewer System. The class spanned 10 weeks and covered all aspects of the fire 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 and participated in a live burn exercise. They toured the 911 Communications Center and the Mobile harbor on board the department’s fire boat. The purpose of the program is to increase understanding of 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. Persons interested in applying for the next citizens Academy are asked to call the Training Academy at 208-2868, check the department’s website at www.cityofmobile.org/fire, or come by the Academy to obtain an application at 860 Owens Street. A date for the next Citizens Fire Academy is expected to be announced for sometime in the fall of this year. ###