A new program in Milford allows students to explore the world of emergency response with professionals who live the life each day.
Earlier this year, the Milford Fire Department began offering a youth explorer program for area students who have completed eighth grade to dive in to firefighter training and operations.
Tim Stewart, a Milford firefighter who headed up the program, said it's meant to spark an interest in students and possibly encourage them to become firefighters later in life.
“I just wanted to give kids out there who have an interest in it a way to start,” Stewart said.
One of those students is Kaytlin Keilig, a sophomore at Milford High School. Keilig fondly recalls childhood memories of her father serving as a volunteer firefighter and wanted to follow in his footsteps.
So far, Keilig said her appreciation of firefighting and emergency response has grown as they've gotten hands-on experience with vehicle extraction, field medical procedures and other training.
“They're trying to push us and show real-life situations,” she said. “They put us in situations where it's go go go and it's nice to get a real feel for what may happen on a call.”
The students in the course all pursued it out of a previously-existing interest in emergency response with a desire to gain hands-on experience. So far, what freshman Sapphire Guzman has found is a class that strays from traditional learning and challenges students to ace lessons not with pen and paper, but with real-life demonstrations.
“I figured this would be kind of like school, sitting and learning and sometimes watching, but it's really hands-on,” she said. “You can sit through a lesson and learn something and forget it, but having that muscle memory is amazing.”
Stewart said the purpose of trainings and simulations that touch on all levels of emergency response is to give students a start on skill building and pique interest in a specific side of firefighting or EMT work.
“They get to learn everything we can do and how we respond to calls,” he said. “There's no limits what they can do with us other than sending them into a burning building.”
He added that this program will hopefully continue a cycle that produces new firefighters and responders for forces as the collective volunteer pool nationwide lessens each year.
“In Milford, we're lucky to have a full roster, but even if the kids move away but volunteer there or go on a paid department, then this is worth it,” he said.
The students have each taken a lesson and skill of their own so far from the class, but the common thing learned that surprised the students most is the sheer implications of what it means to be a first responder.
“It's crazy how much work goes into this and how chaotic it can be,” said freshman John Sage.
“It makes me realize the dangers that actually happen. I know that if my dad goes out on a rescue call, there's a chance he may not come home,” Keilig added, continuing that this lesson hasn't deterred her from pursuing her own goals to become a first responder. “This just enhances my love of wanting to help people even if it has me risking my life.”
