By Morgan McKenzie
Greeley Tribune
GREELEY, Colo. — High school students interested in pursuing careers in firefighting and emergency medical services can register for the eighth annual Aims Fire and EMS Xplore Academy starting Saturday.
The immersive, weeklong academy runs from July 14-18 at the Aims Windsor Campus’ Public Safety Institute, 1130 Southgate Drive, according to an Aims news release.
Program participants will train like real firefighters and first responders. The hands-on training experience will include:
- Learning gear and self-contained breathing apparatus techniques
- Using a fire maze inside the Simulated City training center
- Touring an aerial ladder truck, climbing its 100-foot ladder and rappelling off the burn tower
- Learning CPR and completing the exam to earn the certification valid for two years in Colorado
- Gaining a look into the Candidate Physical Ability Test and completing a modified version of the exam
- Touring a medical helicopter and ambulance to learn emergency transport procedures
- Completing a vehicle extrication exercise with power tools to navigate how to safely stabilize a car and break doors open
- Training in fire extinguisher use, hose rolling and door-forcing techniques.
Students will put their skills to the test in front of family members during a live demonstration day with fire simulations and vehicle extrication exercises, the release said. The program will then wrap with a graduation ceremony.
“Xplore Academy prepares young people to meet the demands of serving and protecting the community,” the college’s EMS Coordinator Heather Logan said in the release. “The program provides an invaluable experience for students to determine if a career in EMS or fire science is right for them.”
Registration closes on June 6, or until the program reaches its 40-student capacity, according to the release. Interested students will pay a $100 registration fee to cover the costs of daily lunch and snacks, three T-shirts and a water bottle. Students may qualify for scholarships to attend the academy.
For more information about the Xplore Academy, go to events.aims.edu/event/2025-fireems-xplore-academy.
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