FIREFIGHTERS VISIT HIGH SCHOOL
JACKSON TWP — Representatives from five volunteer fire departments converged Wednesday outside the cafeteria at Seneca Valley Senior High School in hopes of recruiting new members.
Armed with Rice Krispies treats, business cards and informational postcards, firefighters with Cranberry Township, Adams Area, Harmony, Evans City and Callery volunteer fire departments talked to students during lunch to spread the word about opportunities for junior firefighters.
Amy Behun, recruiter with Cranberry Township Volunteer Fire Company, said in addition to being an opportunity for young people to serve their communities, joining a fire department can give students tangible benefits like college scholarships.
Butler County Community College has scholarships available for firefighters, thanks in part to fundraising efforts by the Cranberry Township Community Chest. There are also three scholarships available specifically to Harmony Fire District firefighters which were created in memory of three Seneca Valley students who were killed in a 2010 car accident.
Also because the fire department is a service organization, young people can use their experience to apply for other service-related scholarships available at most colleges, Behun said.
Geno Citrone, a senior at Seneca Valley, said he joined the Cranberry Township Volunteer Fire Company because he felt a calling to help others. He encouraged others his age to join for the camaraderie and the chance to serve the community.
“It's a lot of fun,” he said. “You get to play with some big toys. And you get to help people out.”
This is the first time the departments have gone into the school to recruit firefighters. The idea is to get people to join while they're young and have the time to complete a majority of the training necessary to be an active firefighter.
“We want to get them in early,” Behun said. “If we can get them early, we hope we can get them to stay on.”
If students join the fire service as juniors, they can complete three of the four modules necessary to be a fully certified interior firefighter, Behun said. Once they turn 18, they can complete the fourth module and be fully certified in about a month.
By starting early and getting their basic training out of the way, Behun said officials hope more firefighters will stay on as their lives get busier with work, family and other obligations.
