Fire cadets play an important role in assisting local fire departments. They also are a great way to encourage young people to go into firefighting careers and EMS programs. While cadet programs aren’t considered direct recruiting tools, they are ways to expose students to the life of a firefighter so they can decide if it might be the right career path for them.
Many people aren’t even aware that fire cadet programs exist. What are fire cadets and what are their duties? Here’s a brief breakdown of how these young future firefighters contribute to local fire departments.
Generally, programs for fire cadets accept people between the age of 16 and 20. Some require that they be at least in the 10th grade. If they’re still in high school, most programs require that students maintain at least a 2.0 grade average in order to remain active in the program. If they’ve graduated from high school, they should be in college and maintaining a good grade average.
Application acceptance for fire cadet programs can be ongoing through local fire departments, or it can be limited to once or twice a year. Applicants must have undergone CPA training and certification prior to applying. If accepted, cadets go through a training program.
The cadet basic training program teaches them introductory level knowledge of firefighting skills, tools, equipment and fire science. It also helps cadets develop positive mentoring relationships with firefighters. The cadet instructors evaluate the students during basic training to assess their ability to undertake duties and their commitment to becoming a fire cadet. Proficiency exercises take place at this level to assess the student’s physical abilities.
Some fire cadet basic training programs also require that trainees participate in ride-alongs with firefighters and
Fire cadets generally spend about 100 hours or three to six months in supervised cadet training activities. After that, they are considered for ride-along certification, which gives them an opportunity to accompany firefighters to emergency calls. During this phase of training cadets can spend anywhere from 12 to 24 hours on a firefighting under the supervision of a mentor or instructor.
Although special instructors are responsible for fire cadet training, fire station personnel also sometimes assist with basic training.
Once they’ve been certified as fire cadets, inductees are allowed to assist fire departments in a non-hazardous capacity. Their duties might include cleaning equipment, restocking supplies and helping to clean up fire scenes.
References
http://www.sandiego.gov
