The Manlius Fire Department held its 11th annual junior fire academy July 18 to 22.
Open only to kids about to enter grades five through eight in the Fayetteville-Manlius School District, this year’s summer camp altogether saw 60 participants morning to afternoon Monday through Friday.
The class of kids—roughly half of them first-timers in the program—were provided uniforms and the chance to experience a glimpse into what it’s like to be a first responder.
At the start of the five days, particpants are given tours of the station, and the ones who have gone through the youth academy before are required to take an examination. Depending on their tallied test results, those kids are chosen as either company leaders, safety officers or EMS members for split-up groups of 10 to mimic actual fire companies.