Baker City Fire & Baker School District team up to launch cadet program
By Joe Hathaway on Wednesday, October 18th, 2023 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
BAKER CITY — The Baker School District 5J and Baker City Fire Department (BCFD) have joined forces to ignite a new chapter in community safety and education with the launch of a fire cadet program for local teens.
The idea behind the program, as expressed by Baker City Fire Chief Todd Jaynes, is to “grow our own replacements.” By introducing students to the world of EMS and firefighting early on, the hope is that they will develop a passion for the profession, leading to a potential career in the field. Jaynes says he drew inspiration for the program from successful implementations in other regions.
The Fire Cadet Program will be initiated as a school club, offering students a chance to receive hands-on training and emergency response skills directly from the fire department.
The program is part of Jaynes’ five-year plan for the department, and is part of the department’s budget that was approved by the city council earlier this summer, when the council actually had members.
“We want to get out there and be more involved with our schools and community,” said Jaynes.
It’s open for teens ages 16-18. It will provide participants with an opportunity for enough training and certification to become a part-time paid firefighter upon completion. Jaynes says. With a cap set at 10 participants for the inaugural class, Jaynes says prospective cadets will undergo an application process, including physical agility tests mirroring those for real firefighters.
“It’s going to be just like they’re coming into the department as a new hire and hopefully we can get them interested,” said Jaynes. “So, even if they don’t get a job within the department, they might volunteer either with us or somewhere else.”
Some of the training and activities cadets will partake in include:
- Ride-alongs.
- Public functions.
- Fund-raising events.
- Physical Fitness routines.
- Fire and EMS Training.
- Cadet will limit any activities until properly trained, involving direct exposure to
- Blood Borne Pathogens (BBP) and will not participate in any Immediate
- Dangerous to Life or Heath environments (IDLH).
- Other functions as assigned.
Chief Jaynes says if this program proves successful, he’d like to include an EMS component to the training, so that cadets could potentially become fully certified once they become 18.
“It’s a training that says you can actually start going in on a fire,” says Jaynes. “You’re a fireman. You can drive the fire truck, you can go in and fight the fire. You can do everything that a paid guy can do.”
The BCFD is holding an informational meeting about the program for interested students and their parents at Baker High School on Thursday, October 19 at 2:00pm.
