A group of Johns Creek residents will get in-depth knowledge of how the city’s fire department works as the Johns Creek Citizens Fire Academy begins Tuesday.

“People will get a little better understanding about how we respond, whether it’s a medical emergency or to a traffic accident or the fires that we respond to,” said Deputy Fire Chief Pat Wilson.

The eight-week course will include a combination of classroom instruction, practical exercises in firefighting, and demonstrations like learning CPR and first aid.

“We make this thing very interactive,” Wilson said. “It’s a lot of hands-on.”

Participants will get a chance to go up on a fire truck’s ladder. They can also see the 911 center where calls are dispatched to the department.

“The final day we take them down to Roswell to the propane fire burn building training facility,” Wilson said. “The ones that want to go, we’ll suit them up and we’ll take them inside and let them watch our guys make a fire attack.”

This year marks the second class of participants going through the Johns Creek Citizens Fire Academy. Wilson said he hopes the annual tradition will continue for years to come.

“It’s a great program,” he said. “We had really great reviews [last year.]”

The program’s nine sessions will be led by different members of the fire department and will take place at department headquarters at 10265 Medlock Bridge Pkwy. or at Fire Station 62 at 10925 Rogers Circle.

Residents can get an application at the Johns Creek Fire Department headquarters at 10205 Medlock Bridge Pkwy. or at www.johnscreekga.gov. Contact Meloni Scurry at (678) 474-1641 or meloni.scurry@johnscreekga.gov for more information.