PROGRAM INTRODUCES TEENS TO FIREFIGHTING
Meritt Bigus has not yet finished high school, but already has a life plan. The 16-year-old owes his ambitions to exposure to firefighting through a series of sources: his fire captain father, a local fire cadet program led by the fire chief, who is another mentor, and some young adult friends who pursued their dreams locally to firefighting careers.
Bigus, who will begin his junior year at Platte County High School this fall, said he has always been drawn to the local fire house (Central Platte Fire Protection District) where his father, Mike Bigus, is a captain.
Meritt has a local group of young adult friends who followed a path to firefighting that he hopes to emulate. The locals attended a Metropolitan Community College program that offers certification through courses in firefighting, EMT (emergency medical technician) and other related fields and now live and work in Oklahoma, where he hopes to land following his certification.
In fact, Meritt is so enthusiastic about his future career plan that he “may take all the courses (offered at MCC’s Blue River campus) “so I have as many as possible,” he said.
For now, the Platte City resident is absorbing firefighting skills and techniques through a new cadet program launched and taught by Central Platte Fire Chief Troy Miller.
So far, his career choice seems solid. “I loved everything about it,” Meritt Bigus said of the new cadet program, which allows high school students to take courses and do some hands-on training, with the exception of entering structure fires.
Meritt Bigus described the program, which is taught at the department’s Main Street fire house, as “getting up close to see what it’s like in the real world.” He especially is fond of the teaching techniques employed by Miller, who adopted the program–developed by fire officials at the state level–soon after being named fire chief earlier this year. “He’s all about training,” Bigus said of Miller. “He let(s) you get hands-on as long as you’re safe.”
Bigus said Miller teaches by “going into depth and I think this is one thing that helps me a lot.”
He added that Miller’s explanations often “make more sense” than the way it’s described in the accompanying workbook. Miller said students learn about firefighting equipment and gear, including the special clothes which students try on.
“The most important thing is this can be fun,” Miller said.
The fire chief said he decided to test drive the introduction of the cadet program using only one student but in the future will accept as many as five students at one time.
The program, routinely offered at firehouses throughout the country, is offered to 16 and 17-year-olds and, upon passage, allows graduates to become entry-level volunteer firefighters.
Miller said he is currently looking for four more cadets. Interested 16-17 year olds can contact Miller at 816-858-2231 or email tmiller@centralplattefire.com.
“I have an application packet specifically for the cadet program. I’m hoping to have them filled by the end of June at latest. The faster we fill the spots the sooner we can begin the cadet training,” Miller said this week.
He hopes to expand the program beyond cadet, to include offering Firefighter I and Firefighter II training. He eventually hopes to raise the department’s minimum level of training to include the two courses.
Miller described the cadet program as a condensed version of the beginning firefighting training program.
“This is kind of the ground level to bring these young adults up the right way,” he said. Students learn not only firefighting, but also life skills, such as filling out a job application and how to do job interviews.
Miller stressed the program is not for everyone and has basic requirements, such as maintaining passing grades in school, similar to the requirements for participating in school extra-curricular activities, such as sports.
Miller described his first cadet student as “a smart kid” and, as another life skill, required Bigus to describe his experience in the program to the department’s three-member board of trustees.
Miller said he’s hopeful the program eventually will lead to more personnel, since his department needs an additional ten volunteers, which is similar to shortages in other industries. Besides, Miller said, he “really enjoys teaching so it was very enjoyable for me, too.”