Forsyth County Fire Department offers free Junior Fire Academy camp

Forsyth County Fire Department opened its free Junior Fire Academy to rising seventh- and eighth-graders this summer, giving local students a week inside Fire Department Headquarters at the Forsyth County Public Safety Complex, 3520 Settingdown Road, to see how firefighters and emergency responders work. The day camp ran Monday, June 19, through Friday, June 23, with daily hours from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and pickup required by 4 p.m.

The academy was limited to students who live in Forsyth County, and the county set the application deadline for Friday, May 5. Returning campers could apply to become an officer for the academy, a step that added leadership responsibility to the experience. The program was built around short lectures followed by hands-on exercises, with lessons centered on fire and life safety, daily firefighter duties, emergency medical services and search and rescue.

Fire Chief Barry Head has said the academy is a yearly highlight for the department, and the program is meant to do more than fill a week in June. It gives students a close look at firefighting while reinforcing teamwork, responsibility, leadership and basic safety habits. Families who wanted more information could contact the Public Education Division at (770) 205-4688 or Erin Long.

The Junior Fire Academy also fit into the department’s broader community risk reduction work, which includes a Safety Poster Contest and Trunk or Treat outreach. That wider effort matches the department’s mission to protect lives, property and the environment through preparedness, prevention, mitigation and response. In a county that estimated its population at 280,096 in 2024 and logged 17,592 calls to the 911 center in 2023, the academy served as both a summer opportunity for students and a practical way to build familiarity with the agencies that answer emergencies across Forsyth County.