(Beaver Dam) The Beaver Dam Fire chief is praising the growth of its cadet program. Established in 2009, the program’s advisors guide and mentor high school students aspiring to become firefighters.
The advisors consist of both full-time and paid-on-call firefighters, who work with the cadets through a progressive training schedule that ensures continues skill development and growth. Fire Chief Michael Wesle says the program’s goal is to cultivate the next generation of fire service professionals.
“They come in twice a month…they get to do everything from put the gear on…they get to pull hoses…they get to flow water…they get to do a lot of trainings…throw ladders up…they do searches,” says Wesle. “We have a day where we go out to the salvage yard and [the cadets] get to take the jaws of life and learn how to cut cars apart. And then in addition to all of that, they also have the opportunity to do some emergency medical services stuff…so, they get CPR certified…they learn all about EMS.”
Wesle says once a cycle of training has been completed, the cadets go through a “scenario day” where they must accomplish certain tasks such as conducting searches or rescuing dummies from the burn tower. The chief credits Lead Advisor and Firefighter/Paramedic Anthony Kuenzi for taking the cadet program to another level.
“He’s done a lot of great things with the program,” says Wesle. “They’ve been doing a lot of fundraisers…just like everything else it costs money…they’re raising funds so they can get appropriate equipment for the kids so they have the right size gloves and hoods and boats and all that good stuff.”
Wesle says the advisors have taken the cadets to tour other departments including in Green Bay and in New York City.
Click HERE to learn more about the Beaver Dam Fire Department’s Cadet Program.
