At 14, Burnham decided she wanted to become a firefighter in a major city like Chicago or Los Angeles.

The 5’4 teenager said her stepdad’s colleagues laughed when she told them her aspirations.

“I like to prove them wrong,” Burnham, of Edwardsburg, said.

She is one of 10 Cass County high school students in the Educational Talent Search (ETS) Fire Academy. The ETS is a grant program administered by Southwestern Michigan College.

Soaking wet, the students played a game of waterball with hoses Tuesday morning at the Dowagiac Fire Department as part of the weeklong academy.

Burnham has been participating in the academy since its inception three years ago. She will be attending SMC in the fall to study fire science.

“I want to help people,” Burnham said. “I can’t think of a better way.”

Later in the week, students will extinguish fires in two cars donated to the department.

“It’s a little bit scary at first being that close to a fire,” Burnham said. “It’s a nice way to get practice without somebody’s life being in danger.”

Like Burnham, more female students have enrolled in the academy than males, according to ETS Director Amy Anderson.

Although firefighting tends to be a male-dominated occupation, Anderson said, all but one of the students in this year’s academy are females.

“They are jumping at the chance to do it,” Anderson said.

And they are learning real-life firefighting services.

“It’s not a water-downed version,” Anderson said. “It’s the real deal.”

Anderson said students will be wearing full equipment when they extinguish the car fires.

“That’s an extra 30 pounds of weight these kids are going to be carrying,” Anderson said.

Capt. Mike Mattix, of the Dowagiac Fire Department, said the week is a recruitment tool for aspiring firefighters.

Mattix, the main instructor of the academy, said the career span of local firefighters averages about 5 years.

These students prefer fire hoses and breathing gear.

At the Fire Academy North Dakota, 14 students from across the state are here learning the tricks of a dangerous trade from 42-year fire-fighting veteran Darrell Graf, Medina.

“In the classroom you don’t learn a lot,” said Jen Weichel, a Strasburg, N.D., native who is in her first year at Bismarck State University. “Here Darrell will explain it and if you don’t get it, Darrell will take you to the truck and show you how to do it.”

Weichel, who has been training with Graf on and off since September, has already learned to drive two different fire engines as well as drive a manual transmission in addition to numerous firefighting tactics.

Students at the privately-run fire academy range from 16-year-olds to college students.

First-timers learn the ropes and if they are skilled enough they work the second year as resident assistants. If you’re a third year veteran like Jake McClintock, 19, Rugby you can instruct along with Graf.

McClintock finished his first year at Northland Community & Technical College in East Grand Forks, Minn. His dream is to fight fires in big cities like Chicago, Washington, D.C., or Boston.

“I’ve done more in three weeks with Darrell, hands on in this class then I’ve done in a year of college,” McClintock said. “College gives you the piece of paper that says you’ve done it — Darrell gives you the experience.”

Students get a quarter of a credit from North Dakota Career and Technical Education for the weeklong camp.

Thursday’s experience was a Class B fire where diesel gasoline was sprayed on top of 2,000 gallons of water underneath the frame of a rusted out tanker truck.

A group of four teenagers decked out in fire suits and air tanks approached the billowing black smoke and carefully aimed their hose, which spurted fire foam to extinguish the blaze.

A second group waited in the wings with its own hose in case the wind turned and the main group was considered vulnerable.

Graf was close by, monitoring each group and giving advice.

“It’s more important to know where the fire is going then where it’s at in most cases,” he said. Afterward, Graf sits the group on the benches of an outdoor classroom. He takes to the whiteboard to discus the importance of monitoring the wind and testing the foam before firing.

“I couldn’t be happier with the results. You guys have been excellent,” he told the group.

While the greenhorns receive praise for a job well done, those with experience under their belts set another controlled blaze for the rookies to extinguish.

“Look at that, we have another fire,” Graf said smiling, before telling the students they have 2 minutes to get their gear back on.

Dallas Bosch doesn’t seem like the typical firefighter. He just graduated from Fargo North High School and plans to attend North Dakota State University in the fall to pursue a degree in accounting.

“I got a packet from my school and so far it’s been probably the best experience I’ll ever get,” Bosch said.

Sharing that experience is Graf’s goal of the academy, an attempt to train and increase the number of rural firefighters in North Dakota.

The cost of the training is $175 which includes lodging and meals.

Ultimately the goal is to hold three or four camps for rural departments and high school students each summer.

“We feel we’re doing everything, good, honest, right and we’re being successful,” Graf said.

Sun reporter Ben Rodgers can be reached at 701-952-8455 or by e-mail at brodgers@jamestownsun.com

“The most important thing is to educate citizens about what we actually do,” said Cindy Giedraitis, who is involved in public education about the Fire Academy.

The academy is offered during the spring Monday evenings and runs for 11 weeks. There is a live fire burn demonstration, as well as CPR and first aid courses provided to participants.

“The class is a taste of what it would be like to have the abilities that firefighters need,” Giedraitis said.

Many class participants have stories and experiences from the training. A community action response team was organized out of the first academy alumni association.

“The first class wanted to keep helping citizens and get involved by staying, giving and doing, so they became the liaisons between the victims of the fire and getting life back to normal, ” Giedraitis said.

Part of the impact of the academy is the difference and understanding of the citizens when the classes end.

“After every class a student can be heard saying ‘wow,’” Giedraitis said.

With the largest group of residents in the area being student renters, it becomes increasingly important for students to understand safety and how to be cautious.

“It helps if the public understands the training we do, as each specialization takes special training,” said Bart Humphreys, public information, research and planning officer.

The academy provides information on the hiring process for firefighters, safety education and CPR training, portable fire extinguishers, hoses and ventilation, 911 dispatch systems, fire engines and ambulances, vehicle extrication, hazardous materials, history of the fire department, emergency medical services, incident command systems, fire ladders, fire prevention, protective clothing and disaster procedures.

“There is a lot of training and paper work that is ever-changing as we are moving from 7 a.m. until the next morning,” said John Moore, who was on call at the fire station.

Firefighters are always working and waiting for an emergency. If anything happens, they have to be at their vehicle within one minute. Knowledge and preparation for any situation are required of all firefighters.

“We don’t always meet people under the best circumstances,” Humphreys said.The academy teaches the responsibility and commitment that firefighters make to the community and how lives can change because of what they do.

“You have to be very committed and responsible,” Giedraitis said.

Applicants must be 18 years old, live in the Brazos Valley and show a physical ability to attend the academy.

“There is an application for the academy and participants can have no criminal history,” Giedraitis said.

Having a criminal record can inhibit a career and is an important thing for students to think about while they are still young and making career choices.

“Citizens will be able to use the knowledge we give them in a positive way,” Giedraitis said.

The academy meets at the five College Station fire stations and the Brayton Fire Training School. People interested in applying can contact Cindy Giedraitis by phone or e-mail during application periods. Classes start in late February and run through May.

To find an academy in your area, visit firejobs.com. They have user friendly menus that make finding any information concerning this topic and many others, a breeze. If you are simply researching these academies, you can get an address of one closest to you, by typing in the city you are looking for. If there is more than one academy in a state, it gives you a choice of which city. As informational websites go, this one is at the top of the list for contact information, and up-to-date information. They also offer a section of employment opportunities across the United States. This could prove invaluable for those of you who have already obtained certification in your course work, and are now searching for a job

Any of the fire academies you research, all require the applicants to be at least 17 to 18 years of age. This specific number differs from state to state, and is sometimes dependant on the type of job the applicant is interested in. You must have a valid high school diploma, or GED equivalent, as well as having in your possession a valid driver’s license registered in the state in which you are currently residing. To get a better idea of what you can expect at a fire academy, and to even get advice on the best one to attend, try getting some information from your local fire department. Most of them allow you to apply as a firefighter without the higher education, but you are expected to follow through and your job duration is often dependant on whether or not you successfully pass the academy. If you have friends that are currently firefighters, this could prove invaluable toward gleaning good advice and information toward the best academy to attend. Do not be afraid to ask questions and get information. Your diligence can only add to your learning experience, and try not to underestimate people based on their age, sex, or rank. Everyone has something to teach you.

Upon successfully completing the fire academy of your choice, you will need to keep a copy of your transcripts for this and, of course, any other specialized training, on hand to attach to your application when the time comes. All fire departments require proof of courses, certifications, and schooling completed prior to recruitment. By engaging in as much volunteer work as possible before you actually join the fire department, you will be increasing the level of your hands on experience, and the wealth of knowledge available. The internet puts a veritable wealth of information at your fingertips. Use it wisely, and find the information you need. As long as your age falls in the correct parameters, and you are physically fit, you could be well on your way to joining the fire department, and becoming a member of the brotherhood of firefighters

There was a time five years ago when the William S. Hart Regional Occupational Program Fire Academy operated out of a pickup truck with no hoses, no water and just a firefighter with a vision and a couple of high school kids willing to listen.

Now that ROP academy has established itself as the go-to place for serious young firefighters.

It now has hoses — donated by fire stations, turned out after 10 years of use.

It has a mock wooden house used for training, a donated fire engine, generators and tools donated by fire departments in Verdugo and Beverly Hills.

Most importantly, says Kelly Chulick, master chief in charge of training, it has the respect of local recruiting fire departments who see academy graduates as confident, knowledgeable, hard-working and respectful young firefighting candidates.

Last year, the academy videotaped interviews with parents of academy graduates.

“Oh, my God, the statements coming back brought me to tears,” Chulick said. “They’re going ‘You don’t know what you’ve done. I think our whole family was saved by the fact that he came to this program and found himself because we were having all kinds of trouble.’

“Now, he knows what to do,” he said. “You could see from the look in their eyes.”

Firefighting discipline
On Saturday morning, at the end of a cul-de-sac on Spirit Drive, outside the open doors of the warehouse used by the William S. Hart Union High School District to store textbooks, desks and now, a growing mountain of donated fire equipment, a cluster of young men are gathered around a picnic table apparently tying and untying ropes.

Dressed in blue T-shirts and baggy bright-yellow, firefighting pants, they address each of their three teachers with “sir” every time they speak.

Inside the warehouse, about 25 young men and at least one young woman with red hair, are lined up rows in front of a teacher putting on layers of protective clothing.

They’re listening to Deputy Chief Brad Brewster bark orders.

They answer in unison. They’re attentive and when they turn to do something, they run to do it.

Academy students take part in 180 hours of hands-on training for one semester. If they complete the course (and most do), they go on to the second, more advanced class.

“Hardly anyone drops out,” Chulick said.

“We tell them at the beginning, this is a trial period. This is where you learn if you really want to be a firefighter or not.”

The firefighting academy accepts students already enrolled in their junior and senior years of high school, no one over 19.

In five years, he’s watched close to 1000 teenagers grow to be well-trained, confident prospective firefighters.

The days of young people graduating from high school, reading a newspaper and responding to an ad to become a firefighter are over, he said.

The course is part of the school district’s ROP.

“This ROP class prepares them for going into the state fire academies, Explorers, fire departments,” Chulick said.

Building a reputation
Chulick, a former military man and retired firefighter from the department in Burbank, instills pride and respect in the young men and women he guides through a two-tier course.

He also works as the drill officer for the Verdugo Fire Academy, a state academy in Glendale.

His right-hand man is Deputy Chief Mark Chavez who breaks in his praise of his students to turn and yell at them as they run.

“Where are your helmets? Get your helmets! Run!”

Chulick continues to explain the bottom line.

“I know what we’re looking for,” he said, referring to state recruiters.

Last semester, he saw four of his local academy graduates accept offers to continue at the state academy.

This semester, more than three times that number are at state academies.

“The numbers jumped because they know they’ll be hired down the road,” he said.

Likewise, enrollment in his own ROP academy has tripled in the last couple of years.

“We get firefighters coming up to us and saying ‘Wow, I didn’t know about this program. It’s pretty awesome.”

Anyone interested in learning more about the academy can call the district at (661) 259-0033, ext. 231.

The Somerset fire lieutenant was helping his neighbor Wednesday, stoking the flames inside a house of steel and concrete where 46 fire recruits were getting their first taste of what fire, heat and smoke can do.

“Oh, it’s hot in there,” Kerrigan said, laughing. Smoke had so saturated his turnout gear that small plumes rose from the fabric whenever he moved.

He had absorbed so much heat from his time in the house that you could feel it radiate off of him from four feet away in the cool morning air.
“I like to keep it nice and hot. Nice and hot and smoky for these guys.”

He was doing it, Kerrigan said, because he has been in a house of horror, just like the one he was creating. And the biggest favor he could do for the 46 men studying to be Fall River firefighters was to let them feel the forces that would try to kill them, all through their careers.

The biggest recruit class in the fire department history is leaving the classroom and heading outside to put their training to use. They gathered on Tuesday and Wednesday outside the training house, right behind the fire headquarters on Commerce Drive, practicing, in a building, the techniques they had been taught in the classroom.

Fire crews repeatedly entered the building to struggle through the smoke and temperatures of 300 to 400 degrees, wrestling with axes and hoses in an environment where you can see nothing because of the smoke, all the while struggling to pull enough air from their breathing packs to let them move and work.

Fire recruits exited the building, their faces wet from sweat and red from heat and effort, smoke trailing behind them as they walked, waves of heat rising from their shoulders.

Kerrigan kept piling more wood and wet straw on his fires.

“We are working on basement fires today,” said Capt. Ken Lima, a training officer who was running Wednesday’s exercise. “We have them go in on the second floor. Then they have to go down the stairs on their hip, feet first, to get to the fire.”

It is a critical skill: Basement fires are common and dangerous. Heat builds and the stairway becomes a chimney, especially after the door is opened. Firefighters have to slither down the stairs, staying as low as possible, because if they stood up the heat would be enough to kill them within minutes.

“It is pretty hot for them right now,” Lima said. “We’ll keep the heat up and the smoke so they get a real taste of this.”

Every team that goes into the building has an instructor tailing it, watching every move, looking for mistakes that could kill. They crawl and they pull a heavy charged fire hose, just as they would in a burning building.

Other instructors are at the door to call in help if there is trouble and to watch for small things done wrong. One instructor noticed that two teams in a row entered the building with one firefighter leaving his axe outside the structure. Lima made a note to address the issue in the classroom and told the instructor to correct that mistake when he saw it.

“This is what this is all about,” Lima said. “To correct the small things they are doing wrong, and also to praise the positive. This is a big class and this has been a lot of work, but we’ve really been pleased with what we’ve seen so far.”

Firefighters walked into the heat this week to practice search and rescue techniques, ways to ventilate a house on fire and rapid interventions when a firefighter gets hurt or trapped.

While recruits ventured into the heat, others worked outside, learning how to act as a team to get ladders off of trucks and up onto buildings quickly.
They practiced the techniques that will save seconds and minutes when they are on the job and have to climb onto the roof of a burning building or through a window to rescue people who are trapped.

They will go to the state fire academy in Stow next week to work in the school’s more advanced burn house, learning how to deal with gasoline fires and explosions and toxic plumes from hazardous materials.

“They have a much bigger burn house there, so we can do more house work and more ladder work,” said District Chief William Pappas, who runs the training division.

“These recruits have been excellent. They are a really motivated bunch, and they are loving the hands-on work.

“They will be ready to work when we assign them to the fire companies on Dec. 19.”

This course is ideal for the student who can’t take the four or more months off work to go to a formal fire academy. Individuals who wish to take this course at our fire academy should always check with local jurisdiction for details on how to become a firefighter within their individual IFSAC process.

The course is broken into two portions. The larger portion is done online in a virtual classroom, while following strict NFPA Firefighter I and Firefighter II standards. Again, our online Firefighter School allows you to learn whenever you have the extra time to do so. The second portion of the program is an intensive two-week “Boot Camp.” An experienced staff of instructors will work with each student until they have mastered each skill. Boot Camps are scheduled once a month at the Emergency Training Center facility located south of the DFW Metroplex.

The course is approved by the State of Texas, which is recognized by the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress as an IFSAC state. During the Boot Camp, students will sit for the Texas test, which is administered through the Texas Commission on Fire Protection. If the student is successful on the exam, then he or she would be eligible to apply for the IFSAC seal(s) if all pre-requisites are met and would therefore be issued IFSAC certificates, usually allowing that student to transfer firefighter certification with other IFSAC states. Please call 1-877-470-FIRE for details.

According to Texas standards, after completing this course, students must also successfully complete a commission recognized medical training program. This training can be a Red Cross “First Responder” course, or ECA, EMT, or Paramedic certification.

The virtual classroom portion is not limited and students can sign up anytime and work at their own pace. However, the Boot Camp portion is limited in order to maintain a productive instructor-to-student ratio, and placement is based on sign-up order. This way, you will receive quality guidance from your fire instructor during this intense portion of the program.

At the two-week bootcamp, TrainingDivision.com provides housing, food, materials, and equipment.

Benefits to this course:

*
Excellent training by an unsurpassed staff of Professors and Instructors.
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Self-paced learning – each student can go through the course as fast or slow as they desire.
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Boot Camp – students will master their skills and build the confidence needed today as a firefighter.
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Flexibility – Keep your current job and go to Boot Camp during your vacation.
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Become certified right out of High School because students can start their course while still in school.
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Earn college credit at numerous institutions who accept Firefighter certificates as prior learning credit.
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Take advantage of our online forum where you can study with other students and prepare for job interviews and hirings.
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Build your confidence because you would have gone through a comprehensive and complete training program.
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Have the job that you love and have always wanted.

Visit www.fireandrescuetraining.ca.gov to download an application. (located on the “Apply” page)

Hardcopies are also available at the business office or may be mailed by request.

The California Regional Fire Academy is now accepting applications for Academy Classes scheduled to begin on Monday, November 8, 2010:

12th Academy Class ~ Full-Time Format Academy

13th Academy Class ~ Extended Format Academy

Application Deadline:

All applications must be received by the business office by 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 23, 2010.

Late application submissions will not be considered for this academy process.

All applications will be reviewed after the deadline of September 23, 2010. All applicants will be notified by mail and email on their standing in the Academy within two weeks after the application deadline.

“I was most surprised to learn how organized the firefighters were when they go to a fire,” Brenda Crocker said. “Everyone has a specific job. It is just amazing to me.”

Crews set fire to wood and newspapers packed into a barrel that were then placed in one corner of a training structure built from metal freight containers. Students were able to stand at the opposite end of the structure from the fire as Rocky Mount fire Capt. Carl Moore explained fire behavior to the students. The students were able to witness what happened as the fire worked its way along wood hung against the walls.

“It was amazing to see,” Darlene Spencer-Harris said. “All of the classes were good, but this is going to be my favorite.”

Spencer-Harris has taken both the Citizen’s Police Academy and the Advanced Citizen’s Police Academy but said she was thrilled to learn the fire department was starting a program, too.

“It has been very rewarding,” she said. “It was amazing to learn how much these guys have to know. Not only do they have to know so much, but they have to execute it and display what they know.”

Thursday’s exercise was the culmination of classes on topics ranging from department history to fire investigations to equipment and specialized teams to incident command. Students also received American Heart Association certification in CPR and first aid through the free course offered by the city.

Linda Tippette said she bought into the stereotype of firefighters just sitting around the station all day waiting for fires to happen.

“I thought they just sat in the house all day, but it is not true. I thought, ‘Hey, they’ve got it made,” she said and laughed. “I thought when there is a fire, you take the truck and pour water on it. It is not that simple.”

Crocker said she was very happy with the class.

“I think they did a marvelous job, especially for the first time. They packed in a lot of information,” she said. “I had an appreciation before, but I really have one now. My appreciation for them has really grown.”

Tippette, Crocker and the others said they were just all-out impressed.

“You’ve got to applaud these guys. The physical training and mental state they have to keep up,” Spencer-Harris said. “Most of all, they enjoy what they are doing. It is not just a job to them. It is a passion and a career.”

Fire Chief Trey Mayo presented the information on the department’s history and organization at the first class of the academy. He said he was pleased with the other instructors who presented classes during the academy and the students’ interest.

“This allowed the public to really get an understanding of what we do,” he said. “They see the fire trucks going down the road, but here they got to see it.”

Battalion Chief Jamie Moss was one of the organizers and said he was pleased with how the academy went.

“I only know of one other department in North Carolina who has a citizen’s fire academy,” he said. “We put together a schedule of what we thought would be interesting and what people may not know we do. This was the pilot class, and there are some things we will adjust for the next class, but it went very well.”

Moss said he would like to see two citizen’s fire academies a year with the next tentatively set for spring. For more information on how to sign up, contact Life Safety Educator Kim Wittig at 972-1379.

“I would encourage everybody to take this course,” Tippette said. “It has been really wonderful.”