CARSON CITY -- Carson City residents, in a way, will soon be thrown into the fire.

Assistant Fire Chief Tom Tarulli and the Carson City Fire Department are initiating their first ever Citizens Academy to teach residents what they do, what tax money funds and how to handle situations on their own.

“If we could have a lot of citizens be like first responders and help us out before we get there or even keep us from going there we could certainly save a lot more lives as well,” says Tarulli.

The nine week course, beginning April fourth, accommodates twenty five locals every Thursday night, most meeting at the training academy off College Parkway.

Tarulli says it’s important for citizens to see the behind the scenes work going into disaster aid situations.

“How do you make those decisions and where do the resources come from and how do you guys prepare for that,” says Tarulli. “I think when they get a good glimpse of how well we are prepared I think they will get some comfort in that.”

 The Carson City Fire Academy begins this week and participants in the process are sitting in the same room and reviewing the same subjects as the citizen’s academy will.

Captain Daniel Albee is co-teaching today and says the information is important for everyone to learn.

“It’s a good thing for them to know how to take care of themselves, maybe secure utilities, maybe help their neighbors out during times when the fire department may be tied up on another major incident,” says Albee.

The academy is free and is intended to inform and demonstrate how people can help themselves and those close to them in emergency situations.