While their friends have been soaking up the sunshine and catching their breath for the final push to the end of the school year, a dozen students from SD43 high schools spent the first half of their spring break learning the challenges of being a firefighter.
The pulled heavy hoses and rolled them up. They compressed the chest of a dummy while practising CPR. They cut open a car with high-power tools. They dangled from the end of ropes, rappelling from the four-storey training tower at the main Coquitlam fire hall.
The students were participating in Coquitlam Fire and Rescue’s first Junior Firefighting program that wrapped up Friday with a showcase for parents and family members of the skills they learned through the eight days prior.
And those weren’t inconsiderable, said deputy fire chief Rod Gill, who helped organize the program.
“They’re packing about eight weeks of the recruit program into eight straight days,” he said, adding the participants weren’t given a weekend break so they wouldn’t forget some of the things they were taught.
Gill said the program is a bit of a sampler of everything a firefighter might be expected to do, from routine tasks to adrenalin-pumping high-angle rescues.
“It’s about giving the students a chance to see what it’s like to be a firefighter.”
Gill said the students invited to participate had to first pass a rigorous application process that included letters of reference, a transcript of their school marks and volunteer activities, as well as an interview.
“We want to see they’re motivated,” he said.
And while one of the goals of the program is to help attract a more diverse population to a firefighting career, Gill said only time will tell if this inaugural cohort that included several young women, will follow through.
“It’s kind of a jumping-off point,” he said. “This is a perfect opportunity to see if this is something they want to do.”
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS The junior firefighters get introduced to the harnesses and equipment they’ll wear during high angle rescue training.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS The squad walks to the training tower where they’ll spend the afternoon learning how to tie special knots and set up safety and main lines so they can rappel back down to the ground.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Callum Borden, a 17-year-old student at Dr. Charles Best secondary school, gets help fitting his harness from instructor Scott Norrington.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Abbie Robinson, a student at Riverside secondary, struggles to get her helmet fitted just right.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Atop the tower, the students pay close attention to the details of tying knots that will secure safety lines for their descent.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS The Junior Firefighters pay close attention because when descending from the four storey training tower, their lives depend on it.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS A properly tied knot can be the difference between life and death when rapelling from a perch during a high-angle rescue.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS For the high school students enrolled in the Junior Firefighters camp put on by the Coquitlam Fire and Rescue, that first step off the training tower is a doozy.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS The safety crew works the ropes.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Zach Hamed, a 17-year-old student at Heritage Woods secondary school, begins his descent from the training tower.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Brendan McLaughlin, 17, keeps a close eye on the caribeners that keep him secured to the safety line as he begins his descent from the training tower.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS One of the junior firefighters prepares to rappel from the training tower.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Elliot Heath and Callum Borden, both students at Dr. Charles Best secondary school, celebrate their successful descent from the training tower.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Callum Borden gets debriefed after he reaches the ground.
MARIO BARTEL 