Cranberry Township Fire Company to host 1st Citizen’s Fire Academy
The Cranberry Township Volunteer Fire Company is gearing up to educate a group of people about the ins and outs of fire safety and the work the department does.
The inaugural Citizen’s Fire Academy will run from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesdays from Sept. 10 through Oct. 22 at Cranberry’s Public Safety Training Facility. A final session to wrap up the eight-week program will take place from 8 a.m. to noon Oct. 26.
“The whole thing is aimed at trying to educate people on what we do in the fire service no matter who they are,” said Scott Garing, the township’s chief of fire and emergency services and the director of the program. “We want to give them an in-depth overview of what we do operationally.”
The township was aiming for 10 students to go through the program and currently has six residents signed up.
Each session will bring in three to four firefighters to share their experiences with participants.
While there is no obligation for participants to join a department after the program concludes, Garing said he would gladly welcome anyone who shows a high level of interest.
“It’s great if you want to, but I also just want to teach you about what we love and what we do so you know as someone in the community what your fire department stands for and how it operates,” he said.
While there are plenty of benefits for the participants, it also will be advantageous for the volunteer firefighters who can brush up on critical information.
“I truly believe that you teaching people a skill makes you better at that skill,” Garing said. “You prepare for the program, you study up, make sure your techniques are sound and perfect and you go and teach someone that same way. It’s just like anything else in life: the more you repeat a skill, the better you get at it. I don’t care if you’re doing your job or my job. It’s all repetition.”
Cranberry Township has already seen a great deal of success with its annual Cadet Fire Academy that recently concluded. Out of 17 total participants this year, 90% are junior firefighters.
If the program runs smoothly, Garing said he hopes to make it an annual event in the future.
“This is just really us investing in public safety,” he said. “That’s really our motto in what we do. If I can make a better fire department around me, it makes us better in our time of need.”
