Under regulations set forth by the Kentucky Fire Commission, the Airport-Sorgho Fire Department has created a Junior Firefighter Program. The program is designed for high school students between the ages of 15 and 17 and primarily targeted at residents from the county’s west side.
Captain Dustin Staves said they typically have upwards of 30 volunteer firefighters, but those numbers have dwindled to the low 20s. He and his team hope the junior program will promote recruitment and retention in the volunteer service.
“We had several people interested, so we decided to go ahead and do one,” Staves said. “We need people who live close to the station and the houses we respond to. You have to be enrolled in school or a high school graduate and maintain or have maintained a ‘C’ average.”
While the juniors can’t officially be a responder or participate in training sessions that pose immediate life or health risks, they will be on their way to becoming a certified firefighter. The state requires 150 hours of training to achieve certification, and the junior program allows individuals a jumpstart so that they can quickly obtain “responder” status after their 18th birthday.
Training will take place every Monday evening and run 3 hours. While the program primarily targets students and recent graduates of Apollo and Owensboro Catholic High School, Staves said they welcome inquires from anyone, regardless of age and address.
“Due to the nature of the calls, we need people who live close to the station, but anyone can contact us about the program,” he said. “We are also taking volunteers who are adults, without requiring them to go through the Junior Program.”
The Airport-Sorgho department prides itself in having multiple generations of families on the team and hopes the new program will continue and even increase those legacies.
“We have people that are in our department that grew up in our fire department,” Staves said. “When they were young, there wasn’t anything like this available. We have a couple of firefighters that have sons in the department and a few more who have sons that will be enrolling in the program.”
To learn more about the program, message the Airport-Sorgho Fire department on Facebook, or complete the inquiry form on their website here. Those who have already completed the form will receive an email from the department after the first of the year.
