The Social Network & Community JUST for Firefighters
Junior Firefighter Explorer Posts
I am the Junior Firefighter Supervisor and im trying to do trainings with my explorers but i am running out of ideas. Can anyone give me ideas. I do a training day and a meeting day once a month. And does anyone know of any grants for junior firefighter grants for gear and equipment?
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Brian Mackie on
-
Cody, try search in the search dept. of this site. I am willing to bet my paycheck that there are oodles ( yes that is a word) of stuff related to your inquiry. No one wants to do the leg work but someone has to.
Failing that plan, (I guess I would turn over my paycheck..but be warned - Monopoly money is worth more) I would try google..ing various things. Should keep you busy enough for me to actually get a job and start earning said paycheck, which I would then turn over to you. lol
good luck
-
Permalink Reply by John Crabbe on
-
I don't believe you will find any grants out there for Explorers or juniors. Personally, as a taxpayer, i would rather see money spent on actual FF's and equipment, not props for kids. You really don't need special gear/equipment, you can utilize hand me downs or outdated gear. Kids aren't supposed to be on the fireground or in dangerous situations so there isn't a need for up to date equipment.
What you can do is hold fundraisers if looking for equipment. I'm guessing you are affiliated with a volunteer dept, but even if affiliated with a paid, such programs tend to be a seperate entity, so you can do fundraising.
As for training, look at the basics and don't be afraid to incorporate several basics together. While SCBA may be old(er) habit to more senior members, you can mix things up with MAYDAY or RIT training. You can do simulated fire attack with lines while having ladders placed etc. Toss in a first aid/EMS scenario into a training topic. Radio comms is another thing, have members crawl into different scenarios written st different places describing a scenario, have them determine if it is a MAYDAY or EMERGENCY TRAFFIC situation. Basically look at what you do as a FF and scale it down a little for explorers.
-
Permalink Reply by Cody Jackson on
-
the problem is for my explorers, on house fires or wildland fires we get about 15 firefighters and i got 3 explorers on the runs. Sadly my explorers are the gophers/ tool bunnies that get everything for us while we do the firefighting. Thats why need the gear for my explorers from bunker gear to wildland gear cause they are in the old wool liner gear and i got to get my kids to NFPA Standard requirements or Im in HOT Water.IF anyone has tan gear with orange or orange/silver striping and getting rid of it let me know.
-
Permalink Reply by mike on
-
one thing you could do is set up an obsitcal course through your station use the air packs and cover the shields so you cannot see gives the illusion of smoky building and you cant see anything wax paper works great so you can see a fellow firefighter that is injured or another interior attack crew be careful how u do this so you dnt injure the explorers do as tools only have them follow a hose to the end of the course.
-
Permalink Reply by Andrew Salinger on
-
the other way to do it is get goggles and put a layer of ductape over them, all you can see is light and dark. Still carry the air packs but remove the masks. You dont even need to make a obstacle course just use the station and move things around and teach them how to feel for doors and test the floor beneath them following walls and the like. Also correct ways of opening doors with a hose line at the ready. Anthother thing to do is dry 'stop and prop' drills. Drive down a back street and get them to set up for a particular type of job. For the older 1s at a job get them learning external attack techniques and let them have a go, its the only way to learn how to fight fire.
-
Permalink Reply by Jason Sherwood on
-
This task is a big one. As I was a former explorer in the late 80's and I was trained by CDF. We would train side by side by with the full time personal. Part of the training would be time trials with the explorers and the full time crew by tying knots on equipment or cutting line in a wildland training course or what ever comes up that day. By doing this, it created a great brotherhood with the whole crew. We also did extracation training in front of the public.
I dont agree with John on his comment about not spending money on the kids but would rather spend it on the FF's. I know that the FF's do need the best gear, but so does the kids. The kids are the back bone when it comes to getting things and helping out where it needs too. They are also the future FF's that were trained by us, so why not get them the best gear and training when we can. I am in the process of starting my own explorer post at our station.
Cody, if you live near a major city or town, ask the fire departments if they have any good used gear and equipment that they can donate to your kids. Also if you have a major power plant close by you can ask them as well. As they also up date their gear as well.
-
Permalink Reply by Travis on
-
0k you are making me made about the explorers and junior thing John! How are we supposed to learn! yes we get hand me down gear that is fine. We should be able to go to a fire call but stay in what we call here a COLD ZONE. We can set up portable ponds and change your air boodles. We learn from watching you guys. We may not be right next to you but we learn a LOT from watching from the cold zone.As juniors and explorers we take classes and what we learn and by the time we can be in your shoes in the HOT zone we already got a good idea what has to be done.
-
-
This could be a good idea but this is my opinion but when your at a fire scene people should be able to no your a junior or explorer.Just get a different type of helmet for them so everyone even people in different departments know they can go so far and can stop before they get hurt.Like some like to be risky and do what they want and think they could fit in because of same gear and helmet. Or even a sticker to put on there helmet that says junior or explorer. I know what I said is confusing but please and try to understand it.
-
-
How are we supposed to learn!
Oh cheese and rice....you learn just like any other new person who comes to the fire service. Stop it with this "we need to be on a fireground to learn" bull. I don't care if my comments make you mad, so what.
I stated there is no place on the fireground or in dangerous situations for a kid. Did you read about the NIOSH recommendations from the WI Dumpster fire which claimed a FF and injured several others INCLUDING and explorer? Do you think these rules established are without merit?
Now I did NOT say anything that a kid couldn't OBSERVE a fire scene, no even playing fetch or helping with air bottles. This stuff does not require up to date gear to do, and really one can gain some good info sitting in a command vehicle with an IC listening to radio traffic.
As for learning, you learn like any adult who decides to become a FF. There are many great FF's who never once were juniors or explorers, nor even observed on a fireground. There is a reason for FF1 and FF2 type of certs and so forth, to give you that initial training to be a FF. There is no reason to be on a fireground just to learn.
-
Permalink Reply by Jack/dt on
-
You don't need to get your juniors into NFPA compliant gear as they are NOT firefighters, they are juniors. Moreover, it would be a shame if some department were to send you compliant gear for your juniors while another department is actually operating on the fireground with non-compliant gear.
One final thought/question: If you're worried about being NFPA compliant then you really need to re-think your use of juniors on the fireground. Last time I looked, NFPA says 18 is the minimum age at which you can take NFPA 1001 FFI. In otherwords, one can't be a firefighter until one is at least 18.
-
Permalink Reply by Charles Fiorino on
-
As far as grants check with your local state rep.for congress(on state level). and for training start at the basics and repeat as needed. By the time they are out of the program they will have the basics down pretty good.
-
Permalink Reply by Ben Jerozal on
-
They won't be props. They will be training equipment that the active FF can also use. Jr's and Explorers still need gear and in a volunteer dept. they can be the only source of recruitment.
© 2024 Created by Firefighter Nation WebChief.
Powered by
