By Gail A. Tierney
CCSO Public
Information Officer

When the county’s Fire Rescue division officially merged with the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office as of Oct. 1, 2011, a name change also came to the Criminal Justice Academy located at the Withlacoochee Technical Institute in Inverness.

A joint project of the Sheriff’s Office and the Citrus County school district, the academy is under the direction of Lt. Phil Royal, who also heads up Sheriff Jeff Dawsy’s training unit. In the past, academy programs were geared specifically to aspiring law enforcement and corrections officers.

Recently renamed as the Citrus County Public Safety Training Center, the academy is gearing up for its first-ever Fire Academy. A part-time (evenings and Saturdays) Firefighter I training course is scheduled to begin on Feb. 8, and run for 17 weeks through June 2.

Besides serving as an incentive to attract more volunteers to the sheriff’s Fire Rescue division, the program includes extensive classroom and practical elements that are requirements for becoming a certified firefighter.

By the end of January, close to 25 enrollees were on board, including committed CCSO deputy sheriffs, 911 dispatchers and even Sheriff Dawsy.

Gail TierneyAccording to Fire Rescue’s training coordinator Curt Clendenney, classroom instruction and hands-on skills development will be conducted at the Citrus County Fire Training Center located at 1300 S. Lecanto Highway, Building 26, in Lecanto.

A state-certified training facility since 1999, the center routinely handles the in-service training needs of Fire Rescue personnel, as well as the training requirements for those who have an interest in becoming firefighters or furthering their firefighting education. Besides multiple classrooms, it boasts a four-story training tower, 1,200-square-foot burn building, two-story maze, a vehicle extrication pad, simulated propane props, plus a number of state-certified instructors.

Successful completion of the Firefighter I program qualifies the participant to be a volunteer combat firefighter anywhere in the state of Florida. If the student is looking to become a career firefighter, then additional hours of training are needed to fulfill the state requirements of the Firefighter II program.

The curriculum explored during the course of study includes a history of firefighting; a look at HazMat (hazardous materials); leadership skills; fire origin and cause investigation; the latest firefighting/safety techniques, tactics and strategies; plus much more.

In addition, highly technical advanced training and continuing education classes are available for those who aspire to become a fire investigator, driver/engineer, fire officer, fire inspector, or want to learn more about first responder medical training.

For more information, contact either Fire Rescue training coordinator Clendenney at (352) 527-7612, or volunteer coordinator John Beebe at 527-5406. Or call the Citrus County Public Safety Training Center at 726-2430, Ext. 4352, for more detailed information about the Fire Academy curriculum, application process, scheduling and associated fees.

Gail Tierney is public information officer for the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office. She has been with the agency for 22 years. Comments or suggestions may be directed to Gail at (352) 341-7460, or gtierney@sheriffcitrus.org.