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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2016
Cadets converge for ire training
First blush with a blaze
By LUKE WHITTAKER
EO Media Group
t starts with spark of interest, and often ends
with a career. In June, about 60 high school
students from regional Washington state
and Oregon schools gathered for the annual ire
cadet day at MERTS campus in Astoria. The
training was the culmination of months of class-
room training.
“We give the experience of the live ire train-
ing, the requirements to become a volunteer
ireighter. That’s really what they’re doing here
is getting those components completed,” Kel-
so’s Cowlitz Two Fire and Rescue Safety Ofi-
cer Kirk Meller said.
A number of leaders and training oficers
from ire departments in southwest Washington
and northwest Oregon, including James Gra-
ham, Kurt Stich, Craig Martinell, Scott Johns,
Kurt Donaldson, Mike Karvia and Erik Dearth,
led cadets through the training. Paciic County
Fire District No. 1 played a major role in the
training.
I
Full day of ire
The daylong experience covered a vari-
ety of ire science and safety topics, includ-
ing hose-handling, search and rescue and ight-
ing ires. After an orientation led by incident
instructor Graham, students divided into bat-
talions. Smaller groups went through rota-
tions, including the ield leadership assessment
course, or “FLAC.” The course simulates situ-
ations and obstacles they will encounter in the
ield, and emphasizes communication skills.
“FLAC simulations are basically team-build-
ing exercises,” instructor Donaldson said.
After lunch, the training heated up, as stu-
dents practiced new skills in different live ire
scenarios.
“They go from leadership-type training and
team cohesion to actually getting dressed up in
their bunker gear and dealing with the experi-
ence (of live ire),” said ireighter Dave Fisher.
A rehabilitation tent, run by EMTs from
Paciic County Fire District No. 1, offered a
momentary reprieve to cadets between rota-
tions. The EMTs closely monitored their core
temperatures and vital signs during the unsea-
sonably warm afternoon.
Photos by Luke Whittaker/EO Media Group
The live fire training was the first opportunity for the cadets to put their training into practice.
Only at MERTS
Traditionally a two-day training, this year’s
program was condensed into one eventful day
due to scheduling conlicts. Though many
cadets were disappointed to have less time at
MERTS, cadets and instructors alike agreed
that the experience at the occupational train-
ing campus was still totally unique, and totally
worthwhile.
“You can’t teach a kid by sitting in a class-
room all day. You’ve got to have that hands-on
application,” Meller said, standing in the
shadow of the 8,000 square foot Fire Response
and Research Center. The three-story structure,
built exclusively for ire training, hosts a wide
range of computer-controlled live burn props
fueled by natural gas.
“They’ve got four different burn rooms that
they’re working on. It’s the irst time they’ve
really seen live ire. We can’t really simulate
this at each training event,” said Meller, who
has been working with the students since the
beginning of the school year.
Fireighter Josh Raichl triggered the ires,
and instructors observed the cadets closely as
they worked together to extinguish each blaze.
The students learned about directing ire with
the hose streams.
“Depending on the streams that they use will
determine how the ire plays out,” Meller said,
?
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Dominic Halvorson was among the ap-
proximately 60 fire cadets from Oregon
and Washington state schools that took
part in the training in June at the MERTS
campus in Astoria.
Cadets put on their gear ahead of live fire training in June at the MERTS campus in Asto-
ria. The hands-on experience was the culmination of months in the classroom.
they get a heap of savings for it,” Meller said.
while overseeing a group of cadets in action.
“That’s really what the kids are learning — the
different streams and patterns and how to prop-
erly put the ire out.”
Even students who don’t ultimately choose
a career in emergency services still beneit from
the cadet programs, leaders said.
“They learn not just ireighting skills, but
how to be a better citizen. If they never pick up
another hose, as long as they can contribute to
society later on, that’s what we’re looking for.
They all have community service hours that
they do,” Meller said.
The experience is a rewarding one for
instructors as well.
“It’s really a highlight for us, a chance to see
the next generation of the ire service and work
with them,” Donaldson explained. “Every year
it gets a little better. It’s pretty neat.”
College credit, important skills
The cadet programs provide a sort of “head
start” for kids who want to pursue a career in
ire or other emergency services.
“It’s a great opportunity for the kids to come
out and learn to cooperate and work together as
a group. For a lot of them, this is the only live
ire they get a chance to do over the course of
the school year, kind of their culmination,” said
Donaldson.
Preparing good citizens
The program also prepares students to volun-
teer in their own community ire departments —
something that is critical in rural areas, where
volunteers handle much of the ire protection
and emergency response.
In addition to real-world training, many par-
ticipants earn college credit that helps them save
on tuition later on.
“If they do it two years, they get 26 college
credits,” Meller explained, adding that many
will apply it toward degrees at local colleges. A
degree for ire science is 90 credits, according
to Clatsop Community College’s major catalog.
“They get almost a third of it paid by doing the
program. It saves them over $5,000 in college fees,
Chicken at large
W
e tried to ignore it as long as possible, but there is no escaping the
chicken patrolling downtown near the U.S. Bank parking lot. The bird
is obviously up to something.
Some brave soul inally called 911: “Report of a chicken at large walking
toward The Daily Astorian.”
Follow reporter Kyle Spurr on his 9-1-What? Twitter watch, where a few of
the sometimes head-scratching calls to area dispatch take center stage. The full
feed is at www.twitter.com/9_1_WHAT.
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