Firefighters in Hoffman Estates are spending their off-duty hours teaching search and rescue techniques to students with disabilities, part of a specialized academy that organizers believe is one of a kind. The program lets participants pull mock victims to safety, practice forcible entry on a door, and even take apart a car with cutters — the same skills taught to adult and teen recruits, just adapted for a different kind of student.
The initiative, known as the Fully Involved Fire Academy, is now heading into its second year, with a six-week session set to begin September 2 at Fire Station 24, the department's Jerome Danowski Station at 5775 Beacon Pointe Drive. As CBS Chicago reports, the fire station created the specialized citizen academy specifically for people with disabilities and special needs, bringing the fire department together with students in a way organizers say has been mutually rewarding.
Lieutenant Kurt Lichtenberg said the impact has flowed in both directions, telling the station the students had more effect on the fire department than the department had on them. Fire Chief Alan Wax echoed that sentiment, saying he is proud of both his students and his team, and that the students and firefighters may be having equally much fun. One participant, Nick, said he learned forcible entry on a door, put out a fire with an extinguisher, and took apart a car with cutters during the sessions — an experience he described as fun that helped him make new friends and meet firefighters.
A Curriculum Built With a Regional Recreation Partner
The academy's curriculum was adapted to fit the needs of the participating group, with help from the Northwest Special Recreation Association. Founded in 1974, NWSRA provides inclusive recreational and therapeutic programming across 17 member park districts in Chicago's northwest suburbs, including Hoffman Estates, giving the fire department a partner with decades of experience tailoring activities for people with disabilities. Firefighters volunteer their time during the sessions rather than treating the academy as part of their regular shift work.
The Fully Involved Fire Academy sits alongside two other community programs the Hoffman Estates Fire Department runs each year: the Citizens Fire Academy for adults 21 and over and the Teen Fire Academy for ages 14 to 20. Together, the three tracks reflect a department that has built public education into its regular operations, running a specialized version specifically for people with disabilities and special needs in the Hoffman Estates community.
Why Fire Safety Training Matters for This Group
The stakes behind the program are backed by federal data. United States Fire Administration figures cited by the Washington State Patrol show that roughly 30 percent of civilian fire fatalities nationwide between 2017 and 2019 involved a person with a disability. Separately, research from the National Fire Protection Association indicates that physical disabilities contributed to an estimated average of 400 home fire fatalities per year nationally, about 15 percent of all home fire deaths, largely because physical limitations can hinder someone's ability to self-evacuate during a fire.
Registration for the September session closes August 28, and organizers say spots are already filling up even though enrollment remains open. Interested applicants can sign up through the academy's website. The academy highlighted the instructors' best qualities throughout the six-week run, according to the CBS Chicago report, as students worked alongside firefighters on search and rescue and forcible rescue techniques.
A Department Investing in Capacity Beyond the Classroom
The volunteer-driven academy comes as the Hoffman Estates Fire Department continues to expand its broader operational footprint. The department employs 97 full-time personnel, including 94 sworn firefighters cross-trained as licensed paramedics, and maintains a minimum daily staffing level of 23 firefighters on duty, according to the Village of Hoffman Estates. In June, the village board approved an intergovernmental agreement with neighboring Schaumburg allowing the two departments to loan each other emergency vehicles during extended fleet maintenance outages, a partnership detailed by the Daily Herald.
The village also broke ground in October 2024 on a $9 million project to replace the aging 1960 Fire Station 21, with site development work continuing into this year. Those infrastructure investments run alongside the community-facing programs like the Fully Involved Fire Academy, which organizers believe stands as a first-of-its-kind offering built specifically around the needs of residents with disabilities and special needs in Hoffman Estates.
-4.webp?w=160&h=400&fit=crop&crop=edges)