Eganville – The Junior Firefighters Program has been a huge success and it is resuming the second semester of the school year.
“We give them skills they don’t get anywhere else,” said Fire Chief Darryl Wagner last Tuesday during his report to council.
They are taught to use a chainsaw and have completed First Aid, he said.
“Now the kids are calling and saying, ‘ when is the next class?’,” he added.
The program is being restructured, he told council.
“Classes will be held during the second semester of the high school year, with dates to be determined,” he told council in his report. “We have had a change in availability with our coordinators which has impacted the program.”
Instead of going all year, the program will be held in one semester. The first semester can be a recruiting time and the second semester the actual program.
Councillor Meredith Caplan Jamieson asked if it would be possible to have a condensed program held in the summer.
Chief Wagner said since this targets high school students and many have summer jobs, it would not work.
The program accepts high school students, so they can start at 14, he added.
“They can go through high school if they want,” he said.
The students come from a wide catchment area and it has been a good program for introducing young people to becoming a firefighter, he said.
“Pembroke, Petawawa, they are coming in from all over the place,” he said.
The chief said he is meeting with one of the coordinators to see how the program can work. He said he would also help out with the program, but the training is different from how he was trained.
“I try to give them my perspective of back in the day,” he said.
Councillor Merv Buckwald asked if they get a high school credit.
“We give them their 40 hours (volunteer hours),” the chief replied.
The program gives the students great skills, he said, noting one student is now going to be a paramedic.
Chief Wagner reported there were seven calls for service this year in January, including one fire.
His report also showed the township had 96 calls for service last year, the highest reported number in the last three years. In 2024 there were 75 calls and in 2023 there were 95 calls.