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Fountain Hills Leadership Academy (FHLA) class eight recently spent a day learning all about the town’s public safety preparedness.
The 2024 program is halfway through its eight weekly sessions, which began Sept. 19 and will end Nov. 7.
Session four on Thursday, Oct. 10 focused on public safety. The class began the day at Town Hall, hearing from MCSO Lt. Mike Lawson and the MCSO operations supporting Fountain Hills, including a drone demonstration in the parking lot.
After a safety presentation at Guardian Training and Consulting, the class traveled to Fire Station #1 on E. Palisades Boulevard, where Chief Dave Ott and his crew walked the class through many of the functions of the Fountain Hills Fire Department.
The class was able to participate in a smoke-room simulation demo, a ride up in the ladder fire truck’s aerial basket and a live rattlesnake rescue.
Class seven alumni and host planners for the day Will Hurst and Carleen Watts helped guide the class through their activities.
“Public Safety Day is always one of the more interactive and fun days in the Leadership Academy program,” Hurst said. “The class truly gets a behind-the-scenes look at how our town’s public servants help protect our citizens. It gives them an appreciation for the hard and sometimes dangerous work our deputies and firefighters must perform each day.”
Frank Robinson, a class eight participant, was thrilled to get a tour of the fire department station.
“I was impressed with the state-of-the-art equipment our town maintains to keep us safe in the event of fire. The chief and his staff are true professionals, and we couldn’t thank them enough for the work they do,” he said.
The 12 participants in this year’s class were selected through an extensive application and interview process, according to a press release. The program is offered through the non-profit I Love Fountain Hills and is designed to develop better-informed citizens.
The eight-week course is an immersion into the town’s governmental processes, civic and community services, public safety and environmental management.
During the course, participants will identify an issue or challenge that affects the Town of Fountain Hills and develop a project proposal that offers a solution.
These projects will be presented at the graduation ceremony in November.
