STAMFORD, CT – Mayor David Martin is pleased to announce that the Office of Public Safety, Health and Welfare will be hosting its third-annual Public Safety Citizen’s Academy this year tentatively beginning September 27th and encourages residents to participate.

The Citizen’s Academy is an effective way of bringing police officers, firefighters, emergency medical, health and residents together, in an informal educational forum. The benefits of such a partnership help strengthen the Stamford community in terms of public safety and quality of life.

The Office of Public Safety is committed to the community and to proactive problem-solving. As national headlines continually criticize the police and create mistrust of law enforcement and other Public Safety Departments, the citizen’s academy has proved beneficial for residents and the departments by developing and improving community relations.

The Academy is a hands-on, interactive, behind-the-scenes program, taught by experienced police officers, firefighters, emergency medical, health, social service and CERT personnel. This special eight-week program is intended for the residents of Stamford who want to learn more about the Office of Public Safety, Health and Welfare and the great work that our Police and other first responders perform. This Academy is offered FREE of charge and is taught by experienced police officers, firefighters, emergency medical, health and CERT personnel.

The training received enables graduates the opportunity to become members of the City of Stamford Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and/or a member of the Medical Reserve Corp (MRC) both highly motivated and dedicated volunteer citizen’s organizations committed to improving the health, safety and resiliency of our Stamford communities.

The concept of the Citizen’s Academy involves opening up the Stamford Police Department and the other Office of Public Safety, Health and Welfare Departments – Fire, Health, Emergency Medical, Emergency Management, Social Services and Emergency Communications – to the residents of our city. The participants will receive an overview of exactly what each agency does and how they respond so that residents have an understanding of each department. As a result, graduates will understand and be better equipped to assess safety issues while sharing their knowledge of public safety practices and policies.

In June 2018, twenty-eight residents completed the program.

Three of the Citizens Public Safety Academy previous students had an excellent experience and truly believe in the program, recommending it highly:

Mr. Mark Hurse said, “The Citizens Public Safety Academy was much more than an experience, it was life-changing. To see first-hand what our first responders deal with daily is eye-opening. I received so much great information from our Police, Fire and EMS professionals. They are truly the backbone of our community. The CPSA is an awesome program that every citizen should take advantage of, if not for the community then for our families.”

Ms. Judith Dickson shared that, “As a life-long Stamford resident I was extremely interested in the inner workings of the Public Safety Division and I was genuinely surprised at all of the areas public safety encompasses. The Public Safety Academy did a great job of breaking down each division and educating us on each unique.”

Mr. Steven Kolenberg said, “I am extremely proud to join the ranks of Citizens Public Safety Academy graduates. As a member of the Board of Representatives’ Public Safety and Health Committee, the material I learned from this course will be invaluable as our committee tackles its important safety issues around our city.”

Graduates leave with a positive attitude about the Police and other public safety departments with an understanding of how effective policing and other programs are conducted and the obstacles public safety must overcome. They’ve seen the human side of police officers and other first responders and the challenges they face.

The 8 week Academy is held once a week for three hours each evening in the Emergency Operations Center and at the Police, Fire and Training Centers from 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM with two Saturday classes. After applications are received and background checks completed approximately 24-30 residents will be accepted to participate. The Citizens Academy is tentatively scheduled to begin on Thursday, September 27, 2018.

Some of the topics covered in the classes will include:

• Law Enforcement Overview and Community Policing
• Terrorism Awareness and Evacuation procedures
• Canine and Bomb Squad operations
• The use of force continuum and incident de-escalation procedures
• Ambulance life support services and disaster medical operations
• Firefighting Overview and techniques
• Incident command, basic emergency awareness and CERT duties and responsibilities
• Health, emergency management and emergency communications

All those interested are encouraged to email the Office of Public Safety, Health and Welfare at TJankowski, or call (203) 977-4151 for further information.

Applications can be obtained from the City of Stamford website at http://www.stamfordct.gov/ and mailed to the Office of Public Safety Health and Welfare 10th Floor, 888 Washington Boulevard, Stamford Connecticut 06901 or dropped off in person.?

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