Clint Oldehoeft and Jacob Miller
Georgia Meyer and Jacob Miller
Jackson Beethe and Jacob Miller
Jaiden Papik and Jacob Miller
Participants
and volunteers at the Exeter Junior Fire Patrol are pictured front row from the
left: Georgia Meyer, Jaiden Papik, Jackson Beethe, Clint Oldehoeft.
Back row from the left are: Marv Swanson, Hope Androyna, Dan Everheart,
Jacob Miller, Mark Beethe, Jackie Miller, Ken Strate and Ed Mark.
After the
graduation ceremony the Exeter Junior Fire Patrol participants headed out for a
ride in the fire truck and a chance to spray some more water from the truck
fire cannon. They are pictured from the left: Jackson Beethe, Clint
Oldehoeft, Jaiden Papik and Georgia Meyer.
Every
October the Exeter Volunteer Fire Department hosts a Junior Fire Patrol classes
during Fire Safety Month.
Part
education and part training, the fifth graders from Exeter Milligan love the
program. “They’re learning valuable life skills for not only now, but when they
have families of their own. It’s a fun class but at the end of the day I
want them to remember this could actually save someone in their families
lives,” explained lead instructor Hope Androyna.
This is
the fifteenth year that the Exeter Volunteer Fire Department has sponsored
the Junior Fire Patrol for area fifth graders. This year there were four
participants.
The fire
department hosts the program at the Exeter Fire Hall and attendance is
required for all four sessions to become a junior fire marshall. During the
sessions the students plan a fire escape plan individualized to their home,
learn about fire hazards in the home, learn burn prevention and first aid, and
how to use a fire extinguisher to put out a fire.
Androyna
notes that the “hardest lesson they have to get is that you never go back into
a burning home and get something valuable, no matter if it’s a pet or a
favorite toy. That is my least favorite part of teaching these classes –
exposing the kids to the reality of mortality in fires.”
This year
Androyna was able to find some new updated videos to share with the students,
“We were able to purchase some new videos. The one that has the most
impact even on adults shows how an entire room can go up in flames in three
minutes from a burning candle. It shows a heat thermometer at the same
time.”
Another
important lesson the kids learn is about the damage that arson causes and how
to prevent fires inside and outside. Exeter Volunteer Fire Department member Ed
Mark designed the program in 1998 to keep the students and the community
safe. Mark researched educational materials and designed the program for
the Fire Department to approve. He serves as the Chairman of the Junior
Fire Patrol project and, "We wanted to help teach the kids more fire
safety so we could save some lives. . .who knows what value it will have in
their future lives."
The
students are required to attend every one of the four sessions and
perform each assignment if they want to achieve the rank of junior fire
marshal. Some of the assignments include fun, like running the water hoses on
the department trucks, while others, like crawling through a room full of
artificial smoke, are a much greater challenge.
“This
class went fast. These kids were a very attentive and a very bright
class. They knew a lot about the department and since it was a smaller
class we had the opportunity to do some different things like working with an
interactive fire extinguisher with Deputy Fire Marshall Ray Nance,” explained
Androyna.
The last
few years they have begun to teach the kids CPR “We can’t certify them but they
are getting the same training the squad does minus a few equipment trainings.
It’s a life-saving skill,” explained Androyna.
If the students pass the final written exam, attend all the meetings and
complete the other requirements then they become a junior fire marshal of the
Exeter Fire Department.
After so many years of watching students take the junior fire patrol course
Mark is still amazed at the fifth graders, "Every year they grab the
information. The intensity level is amazing. They just want to learn. We have
great kids every year."
The department
received a donation from Sam’s Club to purchase snacks for the different nights
and Casey’s supplied pizza for the graduation celebration.
Three of
the students had perfect attendance and passed all of the requirements to
become junior fire marshals. They are Jaiden Papik, Jackson Beethe and
Georgia Meyer. All three of these students have a parent who serves on
the Exeter Volunteer Fire Department.
The
department is now seeing a side benefit to the program that wasn’t realized for
a number of years, as several Junior Fire Marshalls have become active
members of the Exeter department. One, Jacob Miller, now serve as
assistant fire chief.
Hope
Androyna served as the lead instructor this year. Many other members of
the department served as instructors and volunteers throughout the four weeks
including Ed Mark, Jacob Miller, Jackie Miller, Marv Swanson, Dan Everheart,
Ken Strate, Mark Beethe, Doug Papik, Craig Meyer, Nate Kahler.
