Being a volunteer firefighter is a difficult job. A fire, explosion, or other disaster can wake you up out of a deep slumber to attend to what might be a horrific scene, or just someone’s hot water heater blowing out because it’s old.
In other words, you just never know what you’re going to face if you’re one of the many people in our downstate communities who gives of their time and effort to ensure that if a home or business catches fire, you’re the front line.
It’s hard to get that across to even an adult. But try getting it through to a kid. They may have preconceived notions of what it is a volunteer firefighter does, and those notions may not be accurate.
So how does a young person learn of the difficulties as well as rewards in giving of their time and effort?
Youth programs like the one Claremont-Bonpas Fire Protection District offers.
Here is your noontime Read the Lead about the article that appears in the current issue, on stands, featuring that fire district, and what they have to offer interested youth, Claremont-Bonpas Junior Firefighter Program focus of department this Spring:
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Members in one of the area’s fire departments are looking to increase their ranks…not of active firefighters, but of young people who would be utilized in the operations in a support capacity.
The Claremont Junior Firefighter program was created by and kicked off in December 2012 by Ben Woollard, who is not only a Claremont firefighter, but is also a preacher at the Eureka Church south of Claremont. The program had started off with five children but now there are just two currently involved. They are looking for children, male or female, in an age range of 14 to 18 years who would be interested in learning skills to become a regular firefighter in any volunteer or career fire department. Those interested do not have to be in the Claremont fire district, as long as they can come to the department for the training.
The junior firefighters participate in a multitude of training procedures. All junior firefighters will be eligible to attend all regular meetings, in-house training sessions and any fire department activity. As well, they will be allowed to assist the firefighters with regular maintenance of station facilities and equipment, and will operate the pump apparatus. The junior firefighter is prohibited from responding directly to…
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To read the rest of this article, simply click the link at the headline above the excerpt if you have an online subscription to the e-Edition, or, if you don’t have one yet, click this link to get started. Or if you prefer to hold a newspaper in your hands, there are still some left on the shelves in Richland County at MotoMart in Olney, Marilyn’s Liquor Cabinet in Olney and Bottle Hut of Noble. Hurry out and get one…this is the last week they’re there; new issue hits May 15-16!