Hoffman Estates honors Citizens Fire Academy graduates; recruits complete live-burn boot camp training

Hoffman Estates marked the completion of its Citizens Fire Academy with an in-person graduation and a preview of recruit live-burn training intended to prepare probationary firefighters for street duty.

Lieutenant Kurt Lichtenberg, the fire department's public education officer, described the academy's six-week curriculum: gear orientation and rig familiarization, vehicle-extrication exercises with hydraulic tools, EMS and CPR practice, hose and ladder handling, and a final day of live-fire simulations that included battalion command scenarios and victim searches. "We worked on EMS CPR...we pulled hose off the engine...we threw ladders against a building...we also lit a building on fire," Lichtenberg said, thanking instructors and families for their support.

Graduates onstage described what they learned: Humberto Valencia said his favorite moment was practicing forcible entry; Ethan Marcelo called vehicle extrication a highlight; Jen Bartkowitz said serving as a battalion chief in simulations was ‘‘extremely difficult" but instructive; Eric Garza praised the instruction on radio communications and teamwork.

Separately, trainers outlined recruit boot-camp activities. Instructors and candidates described a planned full-day live burn at the Carol Stream Burn Tower to run multiple evolutions (single-family, multifamily, high-rise, standpipe scenarios and a downed-firefighter rescue) so probationary firefighters can practice repeated evolutions under controlled, live-fire conditions before joining shift work.

Why this matters: the hands-on academy and the recruits' live-burn training are designed to strengthen community preparedness and ensure new firefighters gain practical experience in high-risk scenarios.

The broadcast recorded no formal personnel appointments or policy votes during these segments.