Students first, firefighters second

By Anna Schulmann in The Tomball Magnolia Potpourri
They can wash trucks, roll and throw hose, and go on calls, everything firefighters can do except go into burning buildings, but many in the Tomball Fire Department Junior Firefighter program hope fighting fire is in their future.

“I want to be a firefighter, no questions asked,” said Tomball High School sophomore Tara Mariee, who joined the program in March.

Her mother is an emergency medical technician and her father was a Navy firefighter, so having an interest in public service just fit her.

“I like coming for the new friends and new people,” she said. “The training teaches us to never give up and try to never let people down.”

A few months after Tara joined, she brought her friend Amanda Roberts to a training session at the central fire station one Thursday night. Amanda said she liked everything about what she saw, and she too joined the program. Since joining in June, she has learned a lot already.

“I’ve learned to set goals for myself,” she said. “And since joining I’ve done things I never thought I would do.”

When she first joined, Amanda said she couldn’t complete the physical agility training in the time allotted, but now she is able to do so. She knew nothing of ladders and hose, but now climbs ladders and rolls hose like trained firefighters.

The work they do as junior firefighters and the fun they have hanging out at the fire station is only a small piece of what they are asked to do as members of the program.

“Grades and education are the most important things in their lives right now,” said Fire Chief Randy Parr, who pushed to create an active program when he took over as chief.

That’s why, he said, parents and students sign a contract with the department that they will maintain a “C” average in all of their classes. The department gets copies of report cards and progress reports and if any grade is below a 75, the junior firefighters are not allowed to return to the station until the grade is back up.

The grade requirement is not in place to punish students, but to serve as a reminder that education must come first. For Amanda, it became an incentive to study harder.

“I think the program keeps a lot of kids in school,” she said. “Last year I didn’t have good grades. When I joined, I had something to look forward to.”

Parr said he wants all junior firefighters to also look forward to education beyond high school before they pursue a career in firefighting or anything else.

“I push these kids to make a commitment to college,” he said. “It takes more now than just firefighting skills and an aptitude for firefighting. To be a leader, you need to know personnel management, finances, budgeting. It’s difficult without a college education.”

As participants in the program, high school students from 16 to 18 years old are required to keep their grades up and participate in station activities such as weekly training, as long as activities don’t interfere with school. They are given a standard background check and interview, just like any member would undergo.

Tara’s mother Doris Williams, who did a junior firefighter program when she was 16, said the experience she got and that her daughter is getting is “priceless.” Williams said she has already seen a difference in her daughter since she joined the program, both because of the education requirement and the community service aspect.

“I think it gives her a new look at life and makes her more responsible,” she said. “This opens her up to volunteer opportunities and helping the community. And it looks good on a resumé.”

Lieut. Matt Maglitto, training coordinator for the department, said the junior firefighters participate in truck checks, drills, washing, and other station activities, but also the “fun stuff,” such as parades, fundraising for service projects, and public events in which they don proper gear and teach children about their gear and equipment. He said he hopes the junior firefighters learn that though department activities can be a lot of fun, fire fighting is a serious profession.

Even though they are the youngest in the department, he said, they are not the only ones who are constantly learning.

“You will never know everything in the fire service,” he said. “It’s an ongoing training process from rookies all the way up to chiefs.”

The training they get as rookies, Tara and Amanda said, they feel sure will put them at an advantage in their future careers.

Though Parr said there is no limit to the number of students who can join the junior firefighter program, and Maglitto said anyone who thinks they may want to be a firefighter should join, Tara and Amanda have slightly different standards. It’s a fun program, they said, but it’s a lot of work, too, and people who join should be expected to learn and work.

“I would recommend the program to some people,” Amanda said. “But not if you goof off. They need people who are trustworthy. They have to count on people with their lives.”