The Carthage Fire Department is hosting its second ever Citizens Fire Academy, starting on March 31.

The academy classes will take place on eight straight Thursday nights from 6:30-9 p.m.

Carthage Fire Battalion Chief Tom Nixon said the academy is designed to give participants a better understanding of fire and emergency medical operations and “promote citizen interaction with Carthage Fire Department firefighters.”

Students who took the class last year got the chance to put out simulated fires, use the “Jaws of Life” and other tools to cut open a wrecked vehicle, put on an air mask and tank and crawl through a simulated, smoke-filled room, climb the department’s ladder truck and meet the crews of the McCune-Brooks Ambulance Service and the helicopter medical teams that serve the area.

“This program was created to enhance awareness of the department’s capabilities and limitations, develop realistic expectations of response times from the point of dispatch and to develop a cooperative relationship between firefighters and the citizens of Carthage,” the department said in a written release.

Nixon said the class size is limited and he has about 10 spots remaining. The academy is free.

“We will provide participants with an overview of the major divisions within the department as well as a general overview of firefighting and emergency medical services the department provides,” the department said. “There will also be a forum for firefighter-citizen exchange.”