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West Lakes Fire Department Battalion Chief Jess Young gives a course on Incident Command Systems.
Companies worked as a team on elements for a Lego House, which was really a lesson in communication.
Bunker gear for participants in the program.
The companies came together to complete the Lego House. This one complete with flames and everything.
West Lakes Fire Department Battalion Chief Jess Young gives a course on Incident Command Systems.
Companies worked as a team on elements for a Lego House, which was really a lesson in communication.
Bunker gear for participants in the program.
The companies came together to complete the Lego House. This one complete with flames and everything.
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It’s 11:40 am. Students at Wasilla High School are busy learning reading classic novels, learning about the Table of Elements, and the logistics needed to feed 200 firefighters called up to fight a wildfire. The last one may sound like a complicated math problem, but really, it was part of the coursework students were learning in the Firefighting Science class. It’s all part of the new Fire Science Program that started this year at WHS.
“The idea for the program started in 2018, after a different program sponsored by the Central Mat-Su Fire Department and the Boy Scouts, called the ‘Explorers,’ which was aimed at getting high school aged kids into the fire departments, was discontinued,” explains instructor Gabriel Bailey of WHS.
Bailey teaches not only first aid and firefighting, but also teaches biology at WHS. And he is currently a Fire 1 Candidate.
“It was (Mat-Su Borough) Assembly Member Rob Yundt, he started discussions with the DES (Department of Emergency Services) about identifying needs within the department, and the need identified was for new people,” said Bailey, who explained that there wasn’t the volume of new firefighters coming in to fill positions vacated by retiring crew members.
“Discussions began between the Borough and the Mat-Su Fire Department about bringing a structural firefighter science program to one of the local schools. Initially, Mat-Su Career and Technical School was thought to be ideal as the school already offers a Wildland Firefighting course, but when it didn’t pan out, WHS was in,” Bailey said.
Before any high school student signs up, there is a bit of a selection process prospective students must go through.
“It was a three-step process,” said Bailey. “The first was a questionnaire to express what their interests are, what their values are. From there, students did an interview with Chief (John) Beebe and Captain (Josh) Kahler. There were a lot of students who dropped from there. We also had the candidates to a physical agility test that included an obstacle course and carries.”
Initially, Bailey says there wasn’t a huge pool of candidates, but since word has spread about the program, interest has grown to include students from outside schools. Currently, there is a student from Career Tech.
On this day, West Lakes Fire Battalion Chief Jess Young was giving the students instruction on Incident Command Systems (ICS). ICS is the standardized Command and Control for all responders across the country, so students completing this course are receiving the very same information firefighter candidates receive not only in Alaska, but the lower 48 and Hawaii, ultimately creating less confusion.
While it may not be the most exciting topic, the information is vital for proper management and coordination of major incidents such as wildfires or earthquakes. The information was provided by FEMA and lays the foundation which the students will build upon throughout the coursework.
The class also conducted tabletop scenarios to practice the information they have learned so far, as well as review and preparation for an upcoming test.
Among the more interactive lessons for the day was a joint exercise activity in which the students, broken into their respective companies, were required to build a Lego house. As a whole, Young gave specifics on what the house would look like when completed, such as how many bricks and blocks allowed, and the expectation was that each individual company would work together to construct their component (foundation, windows, and walls), before bringing all 3 components for a finished product.
“You’ve all done this before, so you already have a blueprint in your head of what the expectations were, and it went a lot smoother than the first time,” Young told the class when they were finished with the Lego house.
“Now when I teach you how to pull a hose and talk to you about where that hose is going to go and what that fire’s going to look like, it will give you more success,” she went on to explain the purpose of them working as individual companies then as a whole with Legos.
When asked where the inspiration came from for using Legos in such a manner, Young said it was something that works with kids, and firefighters alike:
“I did this with my firefighters as an exercise in communication and it was super successful, so I brought it here” explained Young.
It’s not all book work and instruction for these students. Some of the equipment on-hand for the students to learn and practice with is their “bunker gear,” the specialty coats, pants, helmets, gloves, and boots firefighters don when responding to a call. There are also SCBA Oxygen tanks and other gear that is all used when fighting fires. The class will have their first field day where students will interact and practice with one of the local fire departments at the end of September.
“The students will be in their bunker gear and doing some hands-on, getting to see firsthand what goes on,” said Bailey.
For the two-year program, students will be graded on leadership, classwork, skills, participation, and teamwork. Upon successful completion of their coursework, students will be able to apply for a Fire 1 position within any fire department locally, statewide, or across the country.
“It’s a work in progress, but ultimately, the goal is to train these kids to step right into the workforce.”
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