To escape the summer heat, many kids spent their time hanging out in swimming pools and at the beach this summer. But this group of high school teens turned up the season’s hot temps in another way. For three days of their school break, Everglades and Miramar High Schools, Somerset Academy, and some home-schooled students attended Camp Ignition.
Miramar Fire-Rescue hosted their first-ever camp to teach local youth what being a firefighter/paramedic is all about. During the 3-day camp, the students were able to perform many of the tasks that firefighters and paramedics encounter daily.
“This camp was about introducing high school students to a career of service and, hopefully igniting their interest in becoming a firefighter/ paramedic in the future to come,” explained Firefighter Paramedic Yely Hernandez.
To understand what a “Day in the Life” of a firefighter is like, the first day began with a tour of Miramar Fire Station 84. From learning about the many tools needed, to trying on bunker gear quickly, the eager students had the opportunity to see that it’s no easy task to put on such heavy gear and be ready for an emergency. It takes much dedication and training to be responsible for others’ lives.
On the second day, the objective was to get students involved in manual duties. The first was climbing up a 100-foot aerial ladder from the Quint truck to simulate rescuing a victim from a tall building. Those who were apprehensive were proud of accomplishing such a task. Later that day, they were introduced to forced entry using the same door firefighters use for training. Finally, search and rescue concluded the exciting lessons where they learned that firefighters do not always have full visibility when searching for a victim in a fire.
During the final day of Camp Ignition, the goal was to give students skills that they could take home and be able to use when needed. This included learning how to properly use a fire extinguisher, performing hands-only CPR, and administering first aid care to a wounded bystander. The EMS competitive team came out to simulate a scenario where they treated multiple patients at the same time to demonstrate how firefighters must stay calm and focus in order to help patients in a stressful situation. However, the most thrilling event was hose advancement, which showed how to open the bail and flow water from the fire hose.
“I feel that Camp Ignition was a great opportunity to demonstrate to all participants a firefighter’s duties and responsibilities. My son really enjoyed Camp Ignition and shared his excitement with all his friends,” exclaimed parent George Roque.