Baldwin junior firefighters feel the heat

Heat from the sun and mock flames gave teens a real-life test as members of the Nassau County Junior Firefighters Association demonstrated their skills at Camp Fahrenheit 516 on July 28. The event, organized by the Nassau County Fire Service Academy at Old Bethpage, saw teens work up a sweat in the midst of their five-day boot camp.

The camp attracted teens from 23 villages and towns in Nassau County who have an interest in becoming firefighters or working as volunteers in their towns. County Executive Ed Mangano spoke to the participants before they suited up for action, saying that he valued their commitment to the program.

Teens climbed a fire truck ladder to enter a building, put out a mock fire, organized tools and supplies needed in burning buildings and learned how to carry out emergency procedures. Some said they envisioned doing all this for real someday.

Baldwin teens who took part in the program included Kyle Brown, Sophia German and Zhareon Williams. “My whole family is in the Fire Department, so that’s why I came here,” said Brown, a 17-year-old junior firefighter. “My father is in a first aid company in Baldwin, and I have family in the Baldwin, Oceanside and Long Beach Fire Department. It’s a family tradition, so hopefully we can keep it going.”

For her part, German had her mind set on working in other areas of emergency services. “It was definitely an experience,” she said. “I plan to go into EMT, but they pushed me to try firefighting and it definitely changed my view on it.”

German, 17, said she enjoys working with firehoses and putting out flames in her hometown at the Baldwin F.D., and felt motivated to continue moving forward in the department. “The people who I’ve met in the fire service have really encouraged me to keep going, and they really made me enjoy this,” she said. “Without them I don’t think I would be able to do it.”

Finding ways to cope with the heat was a challenge for all of the participants during the week-long program. German said that the heat made her a little nauseous, and Brown had to sit out during the media day due to dehydration. They both found a way to adjust, and were not deterred from taking part in the camp. What did change was their attitude about themselves and actual firefighters.

“It made me more confident,” German said. “If I didn’t do this, I would still be skittish. Doing this has really opened my eyes, and now I’m very confident about doing other things.”

Brown said that over the course of the program, he came to understand what it really feels like to be in a firefighter’s boots. “Mentally, you get to see what firefighters go through,” he said. “A firefighter doesn’t take a break during the summer. We have a ton of gear on … so we have to make sure we keep drinking.”