Young firefighters get to feel the heat

BARSTOW • Teenagers and live fire may not seem like a wise combination, but the dozens of kids gathered around burning structures at the Barstow Marine Corps Logistics Base Friday knew what they were doing.

Two hundred and forty aspiring firefighters between the ages of 14 and 21 converged on Fort Irwin and the Marine base in Barstow this week for the annual Inland Empire Fire Explorer Association Academy.

The kids slept at the Fort Irwin barracks throughout the five-day training, said Kyle Rugel, 18, an Explorer with Ontario Fire Department who also acted as division chief and public information officer for the academy. During the day, they were on the ground training from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

They got to watch a fire build from a spark to a roaring blaze. They practiced fighting controlled gas-powered fires under the supervision of veteran firefighters, working both in and outside of a structure, on the first and second floor. They crawled through confined spaces in the dark and went on rescue missions to pull an “injured” team member out of a burning building.

For many of the Explorers, it was their first exposure to live fire.

“I was a little nervous — I’m not going to lie,” said 18-year-old Jordan Morgan, an Explorer with the Redlands Fire Department and first-time academy attendee.

Even so, he said, “I think it’s amazing. It’s a great experience, and it’s something you wouldn’t have without the Explorers.”

Barstow Fire Protection District Explorer Sidney Dixon, 18, got into the Explorers six months ago at the urging of a family friend who is a retired firefighter. The Barstow High School graduate liked it so much that he plans to start taking emergency medical technician classes at Victor Valley College. Having been exposed to structure fires now, Dixon said he can’t wait to tackle wildland fire training.

“I like that it’s a lot of hard work, and I like to keep moving,” he said. “I’m real good with my hands.”

Some of the kids like Morgan and Dixon who were in training this week may one day end up in Barstow fire district Capt. Jamie Williams’ shoes.

Williams grew up in the Barstow and Hinkley area and began her firefighting career as an Explorer with the San Bernardino County Fire Department at age 17. On Friday, she was helping coach nervous kids through their first structure fire drill.

“It’s nice to give back to the kids when you have been here,” Williams said.

The Explorers Academy began 17 years ago with less than 30 kids gathered at a high school football field in Victorville, practicing little more than using a fire extinguisher, Rugel said. Now it has grown to a $40,000, five-day production. The academy has been held at Fort Irwin for the past seven or eight years, he said. This year was the first time the kids got to use the Marine base facilities, including a concrete training tower, as well.

Contact the writer:
(760) 256-4123 or asewell@desertdispatch.com

The Inland Empire Fire Explorer Association Academy

What: A five-day intensive training for kids between age 14 and 21 involved in firefighting Explorers programs. This year, the training focused on structure fires.
When: Nov. 12-16
Who: 240 kids from the Explorers programs of 34 fire departments in the Inland Empire
Why: To give teens who are interested in a career in firefighter exposure to hands-on experience
In the future: The theme of next year’s academy will be wildland firefighting.
For more information, call the Barstow Fire Protection District at 256-2254