Eudora residents have the chance to suit up and see what firefighters do, how officers train for the field and how city operations work behind the scenes in October.
The city of Eudora will officially host its first Citizens Academy.
The academy will have five sessions: police, public works, fire & EMS, parks and rec and administration.
The academy will give residents a look at what departments do on their day-to-days while highlighting the people doing that work, Assistant City Manager Zack Daniel said.
“It’s just to provide some level of exposure to the residents to city departments to see their tax dollars at work and experience how the city operates and provides the services that we do,” Daniel said.
At the first class, residents will get to interact with police officers, check out their equipment and learn what training the police force goes through,
Public works will provide a look at the way the city’s utilities are provided, likely something many take for granted when water comes out of the faucet, Daniel said.
At the fire department, participants will get to suit up and test their skills led by the firefighters. They will get a tour of the station, apparatus and equipment, and how the department does fire investigations and inspections. The department will also explain its volunteer pay-per-call system, Fire Chief Mindy Andrasevits said.
“Besides being fun, it will also benefit the community so that there’s better understanding of how a volunteer pay-per-call department works, how we staff the department, how we staff the station, how much equipment we have, what access to two mutual aid partners we have, just to give the community members a better understanding of how we operate,” Andrasevits said.
Residents will see how Parks and Rec schedules programming while maintaining parks and facilities.
During the administration session, participants will learn about the commission and the roles of administration divisions, as well as participate in a budget simulation.
Sessions begin Oct. 12 with a free meal beforehand at 5:45 p.m. followed by about an hour and a half visit with each department. Classes will be each following Thursday: Oct. 19, Oct. 26, Nov. 2 and Nov. 9. To graduate from the academy, you must attend at least four of the sessions.
Participants must be at least 14 years old. For those 14-17 years old, a recommendation letter from a teacher is required.
Academy graduates will be recognized at the City Commission meeting on Nov. 13.
Residents have until Thursday to sign up here.
Reach reporter Sara Maloney at [email protected].
