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
What...? Jrs now operating the pumps...? Sorry son, but I'm not going inside with a kid on the pump.....and here in NY you cannot take FF1 unless you are at least 18 years old....
Permalink Reply by Sarah on December 19, 2010 at 11:57am
Honestly, even though I love going out on calls, I think JRs and explorers should NOT be pulled from school for calls.
First off its distracting to the other students, and what point is it for a JR. to respond? We aren't certified to do much anyway. Wouldn't we just get in the way of the ones who know what they are doing?
It makes no sense.
Once you get home you have time to get a call. School is more important right now. We don't need any uneducated firefighters.
Permalink Reply by Sarah on December 19, 2010 at 12:01pm
I only ride the truck if there is room, and if another FF arrives and I was the last one in and there's no room, I'm off. It doesn't happen often, but we have had juniors bumped off the truck. It doesn't anger me, I know I am not qualified to do anything. The reason why I try go is because it gives me experience, and I can do things to help speed things along.
I am currently waiting for early spring so I can take some classes so I can at least have more knowledge on what I am doing.
John, I'd like to apologize for we just had an incident with my old explorer program having a kid who always pretended to be a firefighter, and got the whole department in some hot water over facebook s**t and trying to do more than he even knew how to do. From the kids who have come thru our program, most seemed to get overly excited, got big heads and thought they needed to have lights on their cars, demanded pagers, and wanted to ride along for every call. Needless to say, it really gave EVERYONE a terrible image of what explorers are and what they do to the department. We were a smaller manned station but still we didn't want an explorer with NO training just getting in the way, and trying to do something out of his experience and training level and hurting someone, something, or himself worst of all. Sorry once again.
And to Brian and Fireman Larry...Level II 240 ceritified firefighter. You guys don't go by the 36, 120 and 240 hour schooling? Sorry for the confusion.
I'm curious about something that some of these juniors say. They apparently think that they are essential because they have such a small department and the help is needed. They say they need to pump so the other guys can attack the fire. If it's such a small rural volunteer department where something like that is actually NEEDED, I'd say the entire house burns down 99% of the time anyway. So why bother with it. Finish school kids.
As a Junior Firefighter I take extreme offense to this. We only mess things up? We pretend to be real firefighters?...........I do not know what kind of department you are on, but ours is a small rural VOLUNTEER department. We are extremely short handed on calls, especially during the day.
You take offense? So what? There is absolutely nothing a junior is needed to do, nor should do which requires them to leave school, or be utilized on the fireground in any FF capacity. Take all the offense you want, I call for the wahmbulance.
That is about it Capcity.....I agree if your dept is so small and if you need to rely on juniors for your FD, then let the place burn. Juniors really are not essential, such programs are NOT there to supplement staffing.
I would like to say it is just juniors with such an "I'm essential" mindset, but truth is there are many adults who have also mentioned in favor of such ignorant, stupid policies as letting kids operate on a fireground.
I agree. The Explorer Program as I understand it was never designed to supplement staffing. Some day one of the F.D's that operate that way are going to get bitten in the A$$ when one of these kids gets hurt, or a Firefighter gets hurt because the kid "operating" the pump makes a fatal mistake due to inexperience and/or lack of training.
In my eyes, the explorer program gives us a few good tips and prepares us for being a full firefighter. Hands on experience is a great way to help us prepare.
We should NEVER be using the equipment or tools during calls.
While I was a junior with the Town Bank VFC, if we got on the truck and a certified ff arrived it bumped me off the truck. I know at one of the neighboring FD's that they actually have their juniors going inside structure fires and are also allowed to have blue lights on their pov's. When i was told this information, I was floored. this is and example of an extremely careless company.