Twenty young people are seeing firefighting in a whole different light these days.

Saturday, October 20, 2001

Twenty young people are seeing firefighting in a whole different light these days.

They’re part of the Albert Lea Fire Department’s Fire Explorers program, which began in March. Through the program, youths ages 14-21 are educated by fire department personnel in fire suppression, fire inspection, firefighting tactics and strategies, firefighting equipment, vehicle rescue, ropes and rigging, haz-mat, fire prevention and arson investigation.

Eric Anderson, one of the Explorers’ five advisors, originally visited the school to try to generate interest in the program. The selection process for members is modeled after the method firefighters are chosen for positions. The students write essays on why they’d like to be members of the group. From there, the field is narrowed, and students go through an interview process in front of a panel of advisors and group members.

&uot;From there, they’re placed on a list in order of their scores – just like they do in the fire department,&uot; Anderson said.

There is currently a waiting list to become part of the Fire Explorers. &uot;We have the largest post in the state,&uot; he added. &uot;It’s gone beyond what anyone’s imagined.&uot;

Fire Explorers meet the second Saturday and the last Sunday of the month. They follow the same chain of command as the department does, using a chief and captains.

&uot;They’re big on professionalism,&uot; Anderson said. &uot;The group enforces its own guidelines. They’re even begging for full uniforms.&uot;

Explorers can schedule ride-alongs with paid fire department members after logging enough hours and passing tests. They can also be part of the call-back shift, and can help with cleanup after a fire, said Scott Hanna, another of the group’s advisors.

&uot;A lot of them thought firefighters are just there, but they’re learning that it’s 24 hours at a time,&uot; Hanna said.

Hanna said the Fire Explorers’ parents are also heavily involved in the organization.

On a recent Saturday, the Explorers ran through drills. Firefighters smoked a house, and the Explorers did search and rescue. &uot;They were in teams of three, and if they’d find a victim, they’d bring him out onto the grass.&uot;

They also used the thermal imager to guide their way through a dark house.

&uot;The parents were right there, as excited as the kids,&uot; Hanna said.

Added Anderson, &uot;They love things like this -&160;the fun stuff, but they’re also right there doing the mundane, housekeeping stuff.&uot;

Hanna said there are all kinds of benefits to the program. &uot;I have a hard time finding any negatives,&uot; he said.

The Explorers also do community service projects, including helping with the annual fire department open house, assisting with the National Red Cross Disaster Fund pancake breakfast today with Police and National Guard Explorers, and hosting a community Halloween haunted house, to be held at the fairgrounds Oct. 26, 27 and 31, from 6-10 p.m. Cost for the haunted house is $3 per person, and children 5 and under will be admitted free.

James Melton, a senior at Albert Lea High School, is the Explorers’ chief. He has had an interest in firefighting since he was a small boy. He admits to being skeptical about the program at first. &uot;But it’s a great program. It’s really fun. We’ve got a lot of good kids. The people we have we can depend on.&uot;

Melton and one of the captains plan to go on to firefighting school in Duluth, thanks, in part, to the Fire Explorers.

Kelly Royce, a freshman, said she got involved in Explorers because she has an uncle who is a firefighter in Farmington.

Brieanna Hanna is Captain Scott Hanna’s daughter, and said now that she’s in the program, she has a greater appreciation for what her father does. &uot;It’s really hard,&uot; she said of the firefighters’ work.

Her friend, Brieann Sorenson, agreed. &uot;This is a lot more worked than I’m used to, but it’s fun.&uot;