Juniors Being Pulled From School to Go on Calls

Hey, well i have to write a an editorial on an important topic. SInce i am a member of the Bagdad fire protection district junior program i chose the topic of juniors being pulled from school to go on calls. However i cant find really reliable information on the actual dept.'s that pull students from school so i need your help. I need:

statistics for how mant departments pull juniors from class

Regulations for what kind of call and if the time of the day makes a difference as to if they are pulled out of class

age limits on being pulled from class

if a drivers license is required to leave class

if missed work can be made up

excused absence?

if red/blue lights are given for personal vehicle use from school to a fire scene

what types of call they can respond to during school hours

and anything else you think might be relevant to my topic
Thank you so very much, stay safe
Jessica

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Permalink Reply by Jake Fireman on March 31, 2009 at 9:56am

For my .02 cents worth, Id just like to say that 'juniors" should NEVER be pulled from school to go on calls. They are students. Yes, they want to be firefighters and thats great however they need to finish their education first. What do you say when the "junior" doesnt graduate from high school because he has been responding to fire/ems calls? Should we let them out for training? Special Events? Where does this cycle end?

And Trevor, no offense, but after reading your reply I would suggest you get a little more schooling. Your grammer and punctuation is horrible.

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Permalink Reply by BillySFCVFD on April 4, 2009 at 8:44pm

Your spelling and grammar are so poor I can only guess what you wrote. I doubt anyone under 18, legal adult, is authorized to drive to a fire scene let alone with lights and sirens. If you believe that and are doing so you won't find me on the road in VT. Pay attention to your school work it will get you somewhere. TCSS

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Permalink Reply by Mike Schlags (Captain Busy) Retd on April 4, 2009 at 8:58pm

Jessica, Because things like this happen, it's not worth the liability to have a junior firefighter, under the age of 18 on a fire truck responding to a call. This is not to say that folks can't or won't "ride-a-long" that are under 18, but as you can see, if a child (under 18) was injured or killed, how would you explain this to their parents. It's the Captain's discretion a lot of times and I would not want the personal liability should something happen.

* If you do see Junior's pulled from class, chances are that the community is hurting for personnel. This may be an absolutely acceptable practice for rural america but certainly not for larger metropolitan areas.

* Under 18 = Minor, Liability issues don't make it worth it to take the risk using children to fight fires and deal with things that many adults can't handle.

* Leaving high school, and driving to a call. This is nuts. Just writing it down seemed even more silly.

* There should not be emergency lights allowed on a high school students vehicle, nor the permission or authority to drive Code 3 in their personal vehicles. Again, liability and common sense.

Key word here... Common Sense!

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Permalink Reply by John Malcom on April 5, 2009 at 10:04am

WHAT??? Pulling children from school? No way! Your responsibility is to get an education and not go chasing calls! Anyone, ANYONE that allows this should be shot.

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Permalink Reply by Sarah Tinsley MacKenzie on May 11, 2009 at 7:15pm

At my school, i am the only firefighter as soon as the alarm is raised and my pager goes my school automatically signs me out to attend, my fire station is only 50m down the road so i just run,
but thats just my school but in other towns i think it could be different.

sarah from nz

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Permalink Reply by Sarah Tinsley MacKenzie on May 11, 2009 at 7:18pm

i disagree
as long as the work standard stays up it should be ok
my brigade is very small and we sometimes have trouble with day time numbers as alot work out of town
my school lets me attend calls and i think thats great
they are supportive of my role in my community and know that ill keep up with my work

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Permalink Reply by cadet 911 on December 31, 2009 at 2:12am

you cant pull us from school it not right to do so

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Permalink Reply by Paul Montpetit on December 31, 2009 at 6:14am

Why would they do that....? That would be like me being called from the Department to do brain surgery.....

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Permalink Reply by Marvin Hawk on December 31, 2009 at 10:47am

Hey, well I have to write an editorial on an important topic. Since I am a member of the Bagdad fire protection district junior program I chose the topic of juniors being pulled from school to go on calls. However I can’t find really reliable information on the actual dept.'s that pull students from school so I need your help. I need:

statistics for how many departments pull juniors from class?
In my area there are two departments that allow Under 18 Firefighters to respond from school.

Regulations for what kind of call and if the time of the day makes a difference as to if they are pulled out of class?
Both departments have the same standard for leaving school. This is you can leave for a confirmed structure fire, and you can leave school for a call for all available manpower.

Age limits on being pulled from class?
There is no age limit but we only take 16 and 17 y/o in our Under 18 program.

If a drivers license is required to leave class?
No but it is a 2.5 mile walk if you don’t drive. Our Under 18’s are not allowed to respond to the scene unless ordered to do so by the Chief. They must initially respond to the station.

If missed work can be made up?
They are expected to make up any missed school work in the same manner as if they had missed the day sick. Also our under 18’s must maintain a passing GPA. Or face suspension from the department until such time as acceptable progress is shown.
Also an under 18 may be pulled from the program at any time by a parent or guardian upon written request to the department.

Excused absence?
This is a policy that is left up to the schools in the area. I believe that as long as work is made up it is considered an excused absence.

If red/blue lights are given for personal vehicle use from school to a fire scene.
Our under 18’s are not allowed to use blue lights period and are required to follow all V&T laws.

What types of call they can respond to during school hours.
Confirmed structure fires and any call where there is a call for all available manpower. This could be anything from a serious MVA to a Brush Fire

and anything else you think might be relevant to my topic.

Thank you so very much, stay safe
Jessica

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Permalink Reply by Jason M Haas on January 2, 2010 at 12:57pm

Pull Juniors from class! That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard! Fires go out that is the truth. Why pull students from learning? They need to be in school to better themselves in order to obtain a career.