Looking for an excuse to get involved and learn about safety in North Kitsap? Here are a few options to increase your awareness and become involved in your community.

Interested in a career as a firefighter? We’re accepting applications for our upcoming volunteer-intern firefighter training academy. More than 170 graduates of the well-regarded program have gone on to careers in emergency services.

After a testing process in late July, selected candidates will start the academy in September. For three months, these volunteer recruits will be studying and drilling full-time as they work toward honing firefighting skills and achieving certifications. In December, those who successfully complete the academy will be assigned to shifts where the new volunteer interns will gain valuable real-life experience, serving alongside our veteran personnel as members of response crews. Find out more at www.nkfr.org.

CPR training: Learn the lifesaving skills of CPR from one of our most experienced paramedics from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 24 at our headquarters station near Kingston. The cost is $20 per student. Reservations for the class are required; call 360-297-3619 to sign-up.

Helmets and life jackets: Custom-fit bike helmets and life jackets are available at our headquarters station near Kingston. Firefighters pay for these safety devices and make them available to all, but do accept donations of $8 per helmet or $15 per life jacket to keep the program going. Call us at 360-297-3619 to set an appointment for a custom fitting.

— Michele Laboda is spokeswoman for North Kitsap Fire & Rescue.

NKF&R Lieutenants Michael Mock (front left) and Mark Cooney (front right) discuss hose-loading with the 2016 academy’s volunteer-intern recruits. During NKF&R’s annual three-month training academy, recruits spend at least four days per week in the classroom and on the drill ground where they learn the essential skills involved in firefighting. (NKF&R / contributed)