Saturday, August 02, 2008

2008 Junior Firefighters Academy



This week, Saturday post Live (Take 8) it not about what I did today. It is about what my son did all week. Today he graduated from the Junior Firefighters Academy sponsored by the Franklin County (Pa.) Fire Chiefs' Association. All week he was one of 30 junior firefighters who trained and learned their current role and their future responsibilities as firefighters. They visited local stations, who fed them each evening, they visited the Chambersburg Fire Museum and the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Md. They listened to instructors all week as well as plenty of hand on experience. Also there to enlighten them was Chief Dennis Rubin of the District of Columbia Fire Department, Charlie Dickinson, Past Chief of the Pittsburgh Fire Department and retired Director of the US Fire Academy and Ed Mann, Pennsylvania State Fire Commissioner. I think he enjoyed himself, he made some new friends and I hope he learned something whether he takes this into a career or if he remains a volunteer. Way to go buddy. Posted are some pictures of a demonstration they put on for those attending graduation. They donned their fire gear and assembled a handline. Then they each knocked a cone down before two team members threw a ladder and climbed it. The red team, my son's team, timed in third place out of six.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Right on, Sam, congratulations, we are proud of you. Pap and Bubba

Anonymous said...

congratulation on a good week,your work hard all week. I is a shame that they didn't have program's like this when some of we're ago Sam,,,
Keep up the good work,,

Anonymous said...

Great job Sam. Keep up the good work. As Wally said, Shame this training wasn't around back in the day.

Congats

Grizz

Brad Myers said...

Kudos for attending Sam, get all the training you can get. But remember to learn from the street also. For evey book you read and pitch at the fire it will just get larger, but they are still very important.

They did have this back in the day guys. I don't remember the year but I attended the first one held at Fayetteville also a week long only held one year. I don't remember who all was in it but past chief's like Colin (17) and Squirrel (7) were also in it.

I would be nice to take a week and have just the Shippensburg Jr.'s (all three sompany's) do it in town to learn the SFD apparatus policies and procedures and to assist in unity in our future.

Anonymous said...

Sam, you need to pay attention to what Brad typed. As usual he hits the nail on the head. I hoped that you didn't mind the push-ups too much ,however, I think that you realized the point that I was getting across. Well talk more at duty night on the 23rd.

Jim

Anonymous said...

As Brad and Jimmy said. A book education is nice and you will learn from that book, but that is what it is a book. You will have to take that book education and place it on the street. And between the book education and the street education you will be one will educated firefighter. Listen to the old farts too.

Kathy said...

Way to go Sam! Make us all proud.

Aunt Kathy