Parents and students driving through the front parking area last week may have been wondering what was going on. It was fire instructor Robby Boettcher, and he was putting together a fire extinguisher lab for his students. Labs like this are not typically in the curriculum, but with the addition of the Firefighting Program this year, they are becoming more common.
Some of the students, like junior Triston Johnson, have been a part of the Buffalo Volunteer Fire Department for a while now, and the program was a natural choice for them.
“I’ve been on the volunteer fire department for about two years now and Shane’s [Reeder] always got me in really involved in the fire program ever since I’ve been on it, “Jonson said. “They started this program up and I figured I’d join, get me a good education maybe set a couple, of goals in my life, get a couple of certifications and pave the road ahead of me.”
Different professional firefighters cycle through as instructors for the class, which takes place first and second period each day. The program is offered through Kilgore Junior College. One of the instructors, J. Hucklebridge, took some time out of his morning class to share details about what the students get out of the program.
“These guys are doing the same stuff that I did when I was at fire academy but they get to do in high school,” Hucklebridge said. “As soon as they graduate they have their firefighting certification, so the only thing they’ll need is to go to an EMT school and then apply themselves at a lot of departments.”
Robby Boettcher is the main instructor for the program.
“When I went through high school there was a lot of pressure to go to college pursuing something, and I didn’t really know what I wanted to do,” Boettcher said. “I think it’s a good opportunity for kids to find out if the fire service is something they’re interested in. If it is, it opens up a lot of opportunities for them”
Not all of the students in the program plan on becoming professional firefighters, but they know the skills will help them in achieve their goals. Levi Lebel said he doesn’t plan to be a firefighter, but that he will use his certification.
“After high school I plan to go to trade school and master mechanics,” Levi Lebel said. “I’m going to get my firefighter certification too and I’d like to be a fireman at a big mechanic shop like Tesla or Chevrolet.”
While the students know they will use their new skills, they have been surprised about some aspects of the new program. Cooper Ayles is enjoying the program, but said there have been some things he wasn’t expecting.
“I’ve been surprised by the skills that we’ve learned and how much the gear weighs,” Ayres said. “It’s a lot, and the intensity of the training has been surprising.”
Beyond the weight of the uniforms and the intensity of the training, the students are experiencing something that goes far beyond the classroom. Colt Reeder said it’s all about the people.
“The best part of the program so far has been the brotherhood and the people,” Reeder said.
And Boettcher agrees.
“I love doing it because you get to help people,” he said. “It’s something that I did as a volunteer before I started getting paid to do it, so it was getting paid to do something I already loved doing. To me, it’s the best job in the world”
