‘They risk their lives every day’ - Oswego residents get an up close look at what it means to be a firefighter

Chris Tomasik now knows more about the dangers the members of the Oswego Fire Protection District encounter on a regular basis.

As part of the six-week Oswego Fire Protection District’s Citizen Fire Academy, the Oswego resident learned the challengers firefighters face.

“I wanted to see the workings and what these men and women do,” Tomasik said in talking about why he wanted to participate in the Citizen Fire Academy. “They’re just not appreciated I think as much as they should be. They risk their lives every day.”

During the last class on May 14, Tomasik participated in a vehicle extrication exercise along with learning how fast a fire can spread.

Those in the Oswego Fire Protection District’s Citizen Fire Academy participated in a vehicle extrication exercise on May 14, 2026. (Eric Schelkopf)

“Even with being behind the scenes, you could still feel the heat,” he said. “It’s crazy how fast it can spread.”

As part of the exercise, Oswego resident Raghu Srinivasan dressed as a firefighter while working to extinguish the fire.

“You can feel the power of the fire,” he said in talking about the experience. “I did not expect it to go up like that. Firefighters put their lives at risk for us. Firefighting is not for the faint of heart.”

This is the first year the Oswego Fire Protection District has held a Citizen Fire Academy.

“Our people face unique and dynamic challenges each and every single day,” said Joe Johnson, the district’s division chief of training. “And most of the community doesn’t see that and we wanted to provide that opportunity for them.”

This was the first year the Oswego Fire Protection District has held a Citizen Fire Academy. Those in the academy participated in a vehicle extrication exercise during the last day of class on May 14, 2026. (Eric Schelkopf)

As part of the academy, members became trained to be certified in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), an emergency treatment that’s done when someone’s breathing or heartbeat has stopped.

“We wanted to ultimately give them something that might make a difference in the community,” Johnson said. “We also talked about home safety and fire extinguishers. We wanted to give them some tools that they could take home. Hopefully they will never have to use them, but we wanted to give them some tools.”

The district hopes to offer the Citizen Fire Academy once a year. It offers a similar program for elected officials in the fall.