Thursday, October 1, 2026
Students from two high schools in the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District tested their strength, teamwork and composure in May during the third annual Empire Games, a local recruitment initiative to address the decline in volunteer firefighters.
The competition brought together 40 students from Sanford H. Calhoun High School and John F. Kennedy High School to learn the fundamentals of firefighting while exploring volunteer service opportunities in their community. Empire Hose Company 3 of the Merrick Fire Department came up with the idea for the games, held between May 7 and 21.
Over the course of three nights, students participated in hands-on training exercises that introduced them to core firefighting skills, including donning and removing turnout gear, operating self-contained breathing apparatuses, hose handling and search-and-rescue techniques. The program culminated in a series of challenges designed to simulate the physical and mental demands firefighters face during emergencies.
Before the competition began, Calhoun students participated in a two-day fitness and recruitment challenge at the school that served as a qualifier for the Empire Games. According to Calhoun Assistant Principal Mark Melkonian, students navigated agility ladders, completed push-up stations, crawled through a darkened obstacle maze and performed a rescue dummy drag alongside a fire engine. Top performers advanced to represent the school in the competition.
The Empire Games was first introduced in 2024 as a unique recruiting effort aimed at younger residents. Organizers said the event was created in response to dwindling volunteer numbers both locally and nationally, as fire departments increasingly struggle to attract new members.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, the number of volunteer firefighters in the United States has dropped from nearly 900,000 in 1984 to roughly 680,000 in 2020. More than 80 percent of fire departments across the country are staffed entirely or primarily by volunteers.
Empire Hose officials said high school students were specifically targeted because of the department’s junior firefighter program, which allows residents under 18 to become familiar with the fire service before becoming eligible for full membership. Melkonian said the partnership has already produced results, noting that one Calhoun student joined the junior fire department after participating in the Empire Games.
“What we saw over the past three weeks was a new generation stepping up for their community,” Ryan Cassidy, Empire Hose Company 3 captain, said in a news release. “During a time when fire departments across the country are struggling to recruit new members, we have created a model that, I hope, will be emulated widely.”
Jon Loew, a Merrick firefighter who developed the initiative, said the games are designed not only to recruit future firefighters, but also to teach responsibility, teamwork and public service.
“For three weeks, a bunch of teenagers put down their phones, turned off the TV, and made a commitment to something greater than themselves,” Loew said in the release. “It also took dozens of our members and hundreds of hours to hold this year’s games. Yet this demonstrates our firehouse’s commitment to ensuring that a new generation will step up to protect our community.”
Last year alone, Empire Hose Company 3 responded to roughly 1,500 incidents, including house fires, motor vehicle accidents, carbon monoxide alarms and ambulance rescue calls, underscoring the department’s ongoing need for volunteers.
