Teens get a taste of firefighting at WFD Junior Fire Academy
WILMINGTON, N.C. (WWAY-TV) — Nearly a dozen local high school students are getting a firsthand look at what it takes to become a firefighter through the Wilmington Fire Department’s Junior Fire Academy at Cape Fear Community College.
The weeklong program, now in its sixth year, gives teenagers the opportunity to participate in real-world firefighting and rescue scenarios while learning about careers in emergency services.
On Tuesday, 14-year-old Zoe Walker rappelled down an eight-story training tower while dressed in firefighter gear.
“Half way down you realize how fun it is, so you kind of forget that it’s scary,” Walker said.
Rappelling is just one of several hands-on experiences available to cadets. Participants also learn CPR, practice using fire extinguishers and operate rescue equipment such as the Jaws of Life.
“I have always wanted to be a firefighter or a lifeguard and my friend also did this and said it was fun,” Walker said.
According to Rebekah Thurston, public information officer for the Wilmington Fire Department, the academy was created to help address recruitment challenges while introducing young people to careers in public safety.
“I said, ‘Hey, Chief what if we start a Junior Fire Academy and try to spark some interest in younger folks and bring them up and see what we can do,’ and he said, ‘go for it,'” Thurston said.
Throughout the program, students take part in simulations designed to mirror situations firefighters encounter on the job. During one exercise, cadets used the Jaws of Life to remove a vehicle door as if rescuing a trapped victim.
“I got to take the entire door off which was pretty cool,” said 16-year-old Kaden Spencer.
While Spencer said he is still unsure whether he wants to pursue firefighting as a career, he said the experience has given him a greater appreciation for the work first responders do.
“They rescue people, they don’t just rescue cats out of trees like they show in the movies, they do a lot,” Spencer said.
Thurston said the department hopes the academy encourages students to consider careers as first responders.
“Whether it’s a police officer, or a firefighter, or an EMT, those are jobs that are very respectable and very important to the community and we love what we do and we want to share that with the younger folks coming behind us,” she said.
Applications for this summer’s sessions have closed, but the Wilmington Fire Department hosts the Junior Fire Academy annually, with one-week programs typically held in June and July.
