Last meeting of the year is Tuesday, December 18 at 6 p.m. at the Demorest Fire Station
The Demorest Fire Department Explorer Program is getting ready to wrap up a successful first year. The program launched in June. Its purpose, says Demorest Fire Captain Justin Hicks, is to help instill positive values in young people.
Hicks is the coordinator for the Demorest Fire Department Explorer Post #6531. Other firefighters in the department serve as advisors. They’re trained and certified through the Boy Scouts of America. The program is part of the Scouts’ Learning for Life curriculum which encourages young people to explore different career paths.
“We don’t just focus on students that want to be firefighters when they get out of high school. We primarily train and teach fire tactics but we also incorporate standard life skills,” Hicks explains.
Open enrollment
Currently, there are nine student members in Post #6531. Organizers hope more students will join in the new year.
“It’s an important program,” says Hicks, “not only for recruitment of the fire service but just something for kids that don’t have much of an idea of what they’re going to do after high school to come and see if they enjoy it and learn something.”
The group meets bi-monthly on the first and third Tuesdays of each month. The schedule is designed to avoid conflicts with the Law Enforcement Explorer program sponsored by the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office.
Fire explorers participate in a wide range of activities including controlled fire burning exercises, ride alongs, emergency medical training, CPR, field trips, and camps.
“The first week of summer we did a Fire Explorer Academy,” says Hicks. “One week long, 8-5 p.m. we taught them fire service history, your basic fire behavior, extinguishers, ladders and the last day of that week they all got certified in CPR and first aid from the American Heart Association.”
The post is planning another Fire Explorer Academy in 2019.
The group is open to boys and girls between the ages of 14 and 18. To be eligible a student must have completed the eighth grade and currently be enrolled in school with a “C” average or better.
The group has a Facebook page and website with information on meetings and how to join. Interested youth are also welcome to learn about the program in person.
“We have open enrollment all year,” says Capt. Hicks. “Anybody that’s interested is more than welcome to come to any of our explorer meetings.”
Demorest Fire Explorer Post #6531 will hold its last meeting of this year on Tuesday, December 18 at 6 p.m. at the Demorest Fire Station at 125 Ivy Street.
