MANOR, PA -- Rescuing a trapped person and helping to get a cat out of a tree were just two of the things a group of teenagers learned recently during the annual Junior Firefighter Weekend. The teens, all junior members of local fire departments, were given the opportunity to do things many of them don't get to do in an actual emergency situation.
Normally, junior firefighters are left to help roll hoses after fires and sweep the floors or wash the fire trucks, but they rarely get to become involved in fighting the fires or rescuing victims from car accidents.
The 24-hour long course, held at the Armstrong County Fire School on Route 66, gave the 30 students, rangingg from 14 to 17, the chance to get their hands dirty and feel a little heat.
Training began at 8 a.m. on a Saturday and concluded at 8 the following morning. During that time, students learned how to use fire extinguishers to put out actual fires, handle car accidents involving downed electrical lines, and set up landing zones for medical helicopters.
They also got the chance to sleep, although few did.
Matt Graham, a 15-year-old junior member of Kittanning Hose Co. 1, said it was fun to be able to actually get the chance to fight a fire.
"I've been a member for over a year and I am not allowed to fight fires or anything," he said. "This course is very good for learning the basics and preparing you for some of the things that will be expected of you as a senior member."
Many fire departments perform routine training for their junior members, but those that don't can make this course a useful learning tool.
"We sometimes don't even get to go to the actual fire calls," said Sarah Ritrosky of West Kittanning Fire Department. "There are times that we are left to sit at the hall and wait until the trucks come back."
Ritrosky, whose parents are both members of the fire department, said she really enjoyed being able to put out a real fire and help rescue someone trapped in a wrecked car.
As for the length of the class, most of the firefighters agreed that they should have tried to take naps when given the opportunity through the evening. Most were sleeping soundly when their parents arrived to pick them up.
Junior firefighters participated from Apollo hose companies 2 and 3, Kittanning hose companies 1 and 6, Manor Township, Kittanning Township, South Buffalo, West Kittanning, Rural Valley, Dayton and Pine Township fire departments, all in Armstrong County.
Junior firefighters were also there from Plumville and McIntyre in Indiana County, as well as Markle and and Vangergrift in Westmoreland County, and Chicora, Butler County.
