March 18, 2024

Fire department program provides hands-on experience

Newton High School seniors learn about equipment, rescues

Image 1 of 2

Cragar Klingensmith had one minute to put on all of his firefighting gear.

From his turnout gear to his hood, helmet, oxygen tank, mask and gloves, Klingensmith hustled through the steps, clapping his hands to signify he was done.

He didn’t quite make it within the 60-second goal time, but he and four other Newton High School seniors are learning more about fire science this semester than many Americans learn in a lifetime.

An explorer program, which allows NHS seniors to learn many of the same life and property saving tactics known to firefighters, is being offered for the first time this spring semester. Klingensmith, Jacob Risius, Whitney Breckenridge, Maddy Berstler and Charles Schwarz work with Joe Coen and others at the Newton Fire Department to learn the basics of rescue, emergency medical response, firefighting gear, and more.

Risius said he realizes the number of young people entering firefighting as a profession is low.

“There aren’t really many fully trained people in this business, from what I can see,” Risius said. “If there were more firefighters, departments could be more efficient.”

Coen said he’d like see about six students sign up for the program each semester, beginning with the fall of this year. He said the city’s part-time firefighter program was successful in keeping personnel with the department, but the volunteer base for NFD is now down to only a handful of people.

“One of our goals is to build up our volunteer numbers again, and this can help,” Coen said. “They can’t go out on live calls with us, but they have learned a lot.”

Coen said there is always a secretary at the front desk of the station when students are there during the day. At times when firefighters cleared out of the station on a call, students went to the training room to watch videos and were quizzed on video content later.

One of the more intense exercises was an ice rescue training exercise. The seniors donned suits and waded into icy waters, learning rope and hand signals and other elements of getting a stranded person safely to shore.

Contact Jason W. Brooks at
641-792-3121 ext. 6532 or
jbrooks@newtondailynews.com