The Social Network & Community JUST for Firefighters
Pennsylvania Volunteer Departments Turn to High Schools for Recruitment
PATRICK BUCHNOWSKI
The Tribune-Democrat
DAVIDSVILLE - With declining ranks hurting volunteer fire departments nationwide, local firefighters are reaching out to high school students.
Volunteers from Conemaugh, Ideal, Hollsopple and Jerome fire departments on Thursday pitched the benefits of joining the fire service to more than 500 Conemaugh Township Area students at the high school auditorium.
They're looking to pass the torch to the next generation.
"There are guys involved in the fire department for 25-30 years and they don't have too much time left," firefighter Chad Knauer said. "I want the fire department to be here for the next 150 years."
The volunteers are recruiting junior firefighters ages 14 to 18.
From there, they can blossom into professional firefighters, EMS personnel, paramedics, nurses and water rescue members, firefighters said.
"We nurture them for the next four years through training and practicing the skills they need to become firefighters," said Robert Simonsick, chaplain for the Conemaugh company.
The 30-minute assembly included a video and display of firefighting gear.
The need for firefighters and EMS personnel is pushing recruitment to center stage, said Scott Grahn, manager of the Somerset County Swift Water Rescue Team.
"That's why we're here today," Grahn said.
Grahn helped student Shawn Dufrene slip into a life vest.
The 17-year-old said she would be interested in firefighter training.
"I think it would be useful to me," she said. "I'm more of a pacifist. I would rather help save lives."
Teenagers and adults wanting to know about the fire service can attend an open house. The doors will be open at the Conemaugh Fire Department from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday.
Young people are being encouraged to attend.
"A lot of kids are afraid (of joining)," Simonsick said. "They just need to come in and try it out and see if it works for them. That's the big thing."
Copyright 2009 The Tribune-Democrat
December 4, 2009
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by WestPhilly on
-
Anybody?
-
Permalink Reply by Jack/dt on
-
Here's a google map showing the fire departments in the area relating to the article -
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&q=fire+department...
There's about 20 separate volunteer fire departments in roughly a 6 x 6 mile area, most of which are clustered in a much smaller, central area around johnstown. It actually looks like fire houses for a large city department.
Seems to me the issue isn't so much one of a few departments not being able to get new members as it is a saturation of independent volunteer fire departments. It would seem that what they really need to do is 1) consolidate with surrounding VFD's or 2) be taken over by the Johnstown fire dept. I'm sure local 463 wouldn't mind the extra manpower.
-
Permalink Reply by Ron Ayotte on
-
Penrhyn inquired...
"Hey Ron, You wouldn't happen to be a IAFF Local 1714 member would you?"
Yes, I am. Why do you ask?
-
-
The military isn't recruiting 14 year olds.
You have read enough of these threads... you should b able to "read between the lines".
-
Permalink Reply by kevin on
-
i think that if you look to the local high school for teens to join the fd.that can helpfull to the kid by keeping him or her out of trouble.
-
-
Ron,
So is the problem recruiting 14 year olds or recruiting high school kids?
And by the way, the military does recruit - in a manner of speaking - 14 year olds. Check out the Naval Sea Cadet Corps. (I can't do the link thing, just google it.) They're not going off to war, but some will as part of the next generation.
I can definitely read between the lines....maybe you're reading more into it than is there.
-
Permalink Reply by John Crabbe on
-
And by the way, the military does recruit - in a manner of speaking - 14 year olds. Check out the Naval Sea Cadet Corps. (I can't do the link thing, just google it.) They're not going off to war, but some will as part of the next generation.
Quite a difference there WP. The Navy Sea Cadets is really nothing more than an explorer program. Those who do decide to join the Navy can join at a higher paygrade or may have a chance of being accepted into ROTC etc, but it is really nothing more than an Explorer program.
Difference being the sea cadets will not be doing responses or be in harms way, and they follow a set of rules, much like in fire explorers through Learning for Life. Whereas, apparently there are too many juniors doing stuff on firegrounds, responding in POV's and so forth, because "it works for them". Now I agree with a properly run explorer type of program, but judging by so many explorer type of questions and posts, my bet is there are too many who don't run such programs properly.
-
Permalink Reply by Tiger Schmittendorf on
-
I think the broad brush comment that integrating adolescents into fire department operations "is a lawsuit waiting to happen" --- is short sighted.
Fire Exploring through the BSA Learning for Life program has been in place for decades, as have various forms of Junior Firefighter or other fire department supported youth programs. These established programs have legal and appropriate safeguards and policies in place that minimize the associated liability. Furthermore, in many states, New York included, these young adult fire service trainees are defined and protected by state law.
In many cases, these are nationally recognized programs that have produced thousands of disciplined, well behaved, courteous, respectful and well trained firefighters at the appropriate age.
I didn't get the impression from the article that they were looking to recruit young adults for the purpose of immediately creating interior firefighters. They have their place, and inside a burning building is not one of them. Being our "poop boys" is not their purpose either.
That being said, I think they're on the right track to ensuring the survival and success of the fire service in their area. They're doing whatever it takes. You can't fault them for that.
I've already written articles about the future of the fire service in "From the X-Box to the Box Alarm," "Dig In,"and "Fortune Tellers;" and I had just started to write a blog at www.firerecruiter.com on this very topic. Now I guess I'll have to finish it. I'll let you know when I do.
PS - I started out as my fire department's first junior firefighter almost 30 years ago. Then again, look how I turned out...
-
-
Fire Exploring through the BSA Learning for Life program has been in place for decades, as have various forms of Junior Firefighter or other fire department supported youth programs. These established programs have legal and appropriate safeguards and policies in place that minimize the associated liability.
Yes. However, apparently there are many other departments that don't follow the same standards nor the same established programs. I have seen countless threads out there of what juniors and so forth are allowed to do, even wildland FF, which is a violation of the Learning for Life rules, but the typical response from such people is "it works for us". You have others saying it is OK for a junior/explorer to respond emergent just to ride out, do "defensive" FF, heck even drive and operate vehicles....all in the name of "preparing future FF's".
Yes, I agree that such programs like explorers is very beneficial, and I even started as an explorer, but the programs must also be operated correctly and that is where you see the reasons for such responses, because there are many programs not operating correctly.
-
-
No argument here.
First and foremost, these youth programs must be designed, managed and monitored for the safety and benefit of the young adult -- not the fire department.
There is tremendous opportunity for us to integrate young adults into the fire service and in doing so, creating a positive learning experience that promote values, traditions, respect and discipline. Opportunities to change the future of our fire service, our communities and, in some small way, our society.
It's up to us to screw up that opportunity.
Let's focus on the positives in an effort to prevent the negatives from occuring.
Stay safe. Train often.
-
Permalink Reply by blair4630 on
-
Allow me to validate your astute observations, damnthing. I live one county over, and actually went to EMT and medic class in Johnstown. What you said is spot on.
They have a house around every corner, and even the paid Johnstown dept. has a dampened down call volume due to the little neighborhoods within their city limits that are covered by another dept. Some dept.'s only have a 5x5 block area, it's crazy. In some cases, the JFD has to drive through a VFD's area to get to another part of their area. It's the same with the EMS side...JFD is ALS, non-transporting...then there's two other ALS services in the city, and a few just outside...bottom line, the firefighters aren't seeing crap for fires...and the medics aren't seeing crap for pt.'s....Johnstown is a prime example of "too much of a good thing".
I think the problem with consollidation is all the big fishes in their small ponds would become medium fish in large ponds upon completion of mergers....and no one wants to do that.
-
Permalink Reply by Marvin Hawk on
-
Jack;
I wasn't trying to change the discussion, I don't think Firefighter Nation's server is crash proof enough for that particular discussion.
I was just trying to understand from what angle a comment was coming from. Given the IAFF's track record/desire to do away with/replace the Volunteer Fire service by any means necessary, I would not expect most members of an IAFF local to be open to the idea of Under 18 Firefighters unless they also happen to be members of a Volunteer Department. It seems a little ironic that when the discussion of under 18 Firefighters comes up the ones consistently on the con side, preaching doom and gloom have tended to be members of the IAFF.
While I feel that 14 is pushing the envelope way to much, unless you are running an Explorer programme and an Under 18 programme. I have been involved in two Under 18 Firefighter programmes. Both have been very successful with about 65% staying in the local fire service once they reached 18, while about 12-15% joined other organizations. A lot of how well any programme will do is based on the amount of effort the leadership and members of an FD are willing to put into it and the amount of limitations you place on what exactly an under 18 can do on a scene.
© 2024 Created by Firefighter Nation WebChief.
Powered by
