For junior firefighters, youth is no barrier to serving their neighbors and town in a significant way. Ask the young people, ranging in age from 14 to 18, who are part of the Hand-in-Hand Junior Firefighter program, training goes far beyond just learning how to handle emergency situations. 

For them, the program is a valuable training ground where they learn vital life skills, forge lasting friendships and engage in character-building duty to their community. Hands-on training is central to the program, but it’s not just about technical know-how for the junior firefighters. The program is also geared towards shaping character traits, like discipline and teamwork – the rewards of which are endless, no matter what path one will take in life. 

Another benefit of the program is the camaraderie that junior volunteers experience with their fellow firefighters. While training, and perhaps even facing some pulse-raising emergency scenarios together, these young firefighters learn to partner with others to achieve outstanding benefits. It’s a powerful experience—seeing the benefits of a reliable support network, as well as personally being that support for others, particularly in their time of need. 

“It’s rewarding to help out,” says 17-year-old Daniel Fisher, who joined the junior firefighting program when he was 14 years old. “I really like helping the fire company, and I enjoy the hands-on training a lot.”

For those who dream of becoming a full-fledged firefighter someday, this program provides a significant head start. For example, this year’s Firefighter of the Year is 21-year-old Christian Miller, a second lieutenant who started his Fire Company service as a junior firefighter at age 14. 

Not surprisingly, Miller is also the younger sibling of Captain 1 Arlan Miller, a firefighter who also oversees training at the Fire Company—and is also a former junior firefighter himself, having joined the program at age 15. “Starting that young allowed me to slowly become ready to be a firefighter,” Miller describes. Learning the skills firefighting, growing in the ranks and running calls added up to a wealth of experience. “By the time I turned 18,”  he adds, “I was ready to be an interior firefighter. I could jump right into that.”

Even if the career interests or future journey of the junior firefighter lead elsewhere, being part of the program provides personal rewards the young volunteer takes with them. And—while serving his or her community, the junior firefighter is a role model of public service, with skills in fire safety and emergency response that make their hometown a safer, more secure place.