The West Hartford Fire Department will hold two week-long camps, with in structure in basic and advanced skills.

By Ronni Newton

The West Hartford Fire Academy is back for the summer of 2025, offering youth ages 13-17 with the opportunity to gain a hands-on experience of what life is like for a professional firefighter/paramedic.

Taught by instructors from the West Hartford Fire Department, cadets will start their mornings with a workout, “followed by introductions to the use and wearing of various pieces of equipment, working with a fire hose, navigating through tight and smoky environments, etc.”

No experience – just interest – is required to attend Fire Academy Basics, scheduled for Monday through Friday, July 28-Aug. 1, but the basic course is a prerequisite for Fire Academy Advanced Skills. The advanced class is the following week, Aug. 4-8. “Students often go to both camps back-to-back, but you must complete a week of Basic Skills BEFORE doing the Advanced Skills session,” but the basic course can also have been taken in a previous year, the town said in an announcement.

Both programs are being held this year at the Newington Fire Tower off Fenn Road.

West Hartford Youth Fire Academy Advanced Skills Camp 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton (we-ha.com file photo)

“Even if they ultimately never choose to pursue a career in firefighting, we have given them an experience that they may or may not have ever thought of,” Fire Chief Greg Priest said following the 2024 program. “Our primary goal with this camp is to educate about the fire department, but also to see what we can do as a department to show pathways into the fire service or how to navigate barriers that might prevent somebody from joining the fire service.”

The West Hartford Fire Department, West Hartford Leisure Services Department, and West Hartford Firefighters Union are collaborating to present the program. Registration is available through RecDesk.

Any questions can be emailed to [email protected].

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