Over 130 teenagers from more than a dozen states attended the 17th Annual West Virginia University (WVU) National Junior Firefighter Camp this past summer.
“Look, the second- and third-year campers are walking across the bay to show the first years about their gear and proper formation,” an instructor said to his group. “It was on their own initiative.”
“That is beautiful," senior instructor and Huntington, WV, Deputy Chief Brian Grieco responded.
Every year since 2006 (with exception of 2020-2021, due to COVID-19) a group of state fire training instructors and staff have volunteered their time and energy to give these 14- to 17-year-old campers a taste of the fire and emergency medical services. These instructors display passion and expertise as they teach the various aspects of the fire service, including various rescue disciplines, CPR, fireground search, fire attack, and other basic skills. Students are able to learn on many different types of equipment and apparatus including multiple aerials.
The West Viriginia State Fire Training Academy is located in Weston, WV, an area that is centrally located in the state and it has one clear advantage over many other state academies. It is located on West Virginia University property, right next to the WVU Jacksons Mill State 4-H Camp which is the first statewide 4-H camp in the United States with a capacity to shelter and feed approximately 350 teenagers and adults.
The camp was the result of a happy hour discussion about the dwindling number of volunteer and career firefighters in West Virginia, and across the U.S. way back in 2005. It was envisioned to attract youngsters that were already in junior firefighter programs but has expanded to include kids with interest in the fire service and no formal affiliations.
The camp averages around 130 campers, 35 percent of which are female.
The instructors and staffers come from across West Virginia, Kentucky, Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio and many take a week of their yearly vacation to come to this camp.
Due to the success and longevity of the program, some of the staff and instructors are former campers that have made careers in the field. These returning firefighters show the true impact of this camp: providing knowledge to the next generation as they want to give back to something that provided experience and excitement for themselves.
In years past, campers have come from all over the United States and the best means to attract new campers is the end-of-camp video being posted to YouTube and Facebook.
One camper came for four years from Colorado, another was there for two years from Puerto Rico. It is routine to get campers from the states that surround West Virginia, but not unusual to have them from states such as Louisiana, Maine, New Jersey, New York, and Texas.
Prior to the 2024 camp, YouTube videos and word of mouth were the main advertising. This year the camp also advertised on Facebook and Instagram. The camp has yet to have any international campers, but we would welcome them just the same.
This year's campers were from up and down the East Coast, from Maine to Florida and as far west as Texas and Colorado.
National Junior Firefighter Camp is not your normal summer camp. These campers are engaged for 10-12 hours a day over the six days and five nights. They are up at 6 a.m. with lights out by 11 p.m. Campers are only allowed to have their phones for a brief amount of time in the evenings to text and call parents or friends.
Over the course of the week the campers are given a taste of the various aspects of the fire service. All of this is accomplished with safety as a priority and no camper is being exposed to an IDLH atmosphere. They are not made to do any drill they feel uncomfortable with - they are encouraged but not forced.
We have not found a camp like it anywhere else in the U.S.
Deputy U.S. Fire Administrator Tonya Hoover first visited the camp in 2023 and returned this year with National Fire Academy Superintendent Eriks Gabliks. They both spoke of the importance of training and education and how these campers are the firefighters of the future.
“The National Junior Firefighter Camp is incredibly unique and provides an unparalleled opportunity for our youth to learn about what it takes to be a firefighter. I have long advocated for resources to our fire departments as a member, and former chairman, of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, and will continue to make certain they have the support needed to do their job safely,” Senator Shelley Moore Capito said.
Next year’s camp will be June 14-19. Registration will open on the WVU Fire Service Extension website by Jan. 1, 2025.
