Middleton students get hands-on fire service experience through new junior program

Nine Middleton Regional High School students are getting a hands-on introduction to the fire service through a new 38-week Junior Firefighter Program launched by the Middleton Fire Department.

The inaugural program is designed to give students experience with many of the fundamental skills taught to entry-level firefighters while also developing teamwork, communication, problem-solving skills, and confidence.

Hilton Seymour, junior firefighter co-ordinator with the Middleton Fire Department, said the idea emerged after an Annapolis County Fire Service meeting last spring and was inspired by a program launched last year between Kingston Volunteer Fire Department and West Kings District High School.

Kingston’s approach was to give students hands-on experience rather than have them simply watch firefighters, an approach Middleton wanted to follow, Seymour said.

Middleton Fire Department approached Middleton Regional High School near the end of June and worked with the school over the summer to develop its own program. Fire department members then held two classroom sessions at the school in September, with nine interested students becoming the program’s first class.

“Volunteer fire departments everywhere have to think about where the next generation of firefighters is going to come from,” Seymour said.

Rather than waiting for prospective volunteers to become old enough to apply, he said the program provides an opportunity to introduce young people to the fire service earlier and show them what serving with a volunteer department involves.

Over the 38 weeks, students will be introduced to personal protective equipment, self-contained breathing apparatus, hose handling, ladders, ropes and knots, fire extinguishers, forcible entry, search techniques, and firefighter safety.

They will also receive emergency first aid training and work through practical skills associated with Level I firefighter training, within safety and age restrictions for junior participants.

Students are closely supervised and will not respond to emergency calls or participate in live-fire operations.

Seymour said the training is focused heavily on practical skills, with instructors providing theory and guidance as students learn how to perform each task.

Seymour, who is also a fire service instructor, said he has spent 35 years in the fire service and sees the program as a chance to pass that experience to a younger generation.

But learning firefighting techniques is only part of the goal.

Seymour said instructors want students to develop teamwork, leadership, communication, responsibility, problem-solving, and accountability.

Even if none of the nine eventually becomes a firefighter, Seymour said he hopes they leave with skills, confidence, experiences, and friendships that will benefit them in the future.

For students Kinlea Veinot and Abigail Graham, the program is already offering a different look at the fire service.

Veinot said much of what she previously knew about firefighting came from what she had seen on television, including firefighters running into burning buildings and rescuing people. Being introduced to the fire service in a smaller community has given her a different perspective.

Graham said she was surprised by the amount of time volunteer firefighters dedicate to the department.

After only two days in the program, Veinot and Graham said touring the fire trucks and being fitted with firefighting gear were among the highlights so far. They compared wearing the gear to being bundled up in winter clothing, while describing the experience of putting it on as making them feel strong.

The students said they are particularly looking forward to learning how to use firefighting tools and taking emergency first aid training. They said the skills could also be useful in everyday life, including helping them respond if they encounter an emergency.

The experience has also opened up possibilities they had not seriously considered before. The students discussed firefighting and paramedicine as possible paths in emergency services, while also pointing to the close-knit community among firefighters as something that could help with the demands of the work.

Both said they would encourage other students to try a program like this, even if they do not plan to become firefighters, because the skills and experience can be useful beyond the fire service.

Seymour said that by the end of the 38 weeks, he hopes to see the students working together and applying what they have learned to solve problems safely.

The department is planning a graduation exercise in which students will face a series of tasks drawing on skills developed throughout the program.

The department also hopes the program can continue in future years.

Seymour said the first year will be an opportunity to evaluate what works, listen to feedback from students, instructors, and the school, and identify improvements. The goal, he said, is not simply to make the program bigger, but to keep it safe, meaningful, and hands-on.

For Seymour, who began his own fire service journey at 22, seeing some members of the inaugural class eventually take a similar path would carry special meaning.

“It would be an honour to see them, you know, follow in my footsteps,” he said.