Rockford teens getting a taste of firefighting

ROCKFORD - Rockford Fire Department volunteers have to balance fighting fires with jobs, travel, family - and, for some, football practice and homework.

For the past 16 years, the department has had a roster of six junior firefighters ages 14-18. The list is limited to six to keep a good ratio of juniors to advisors, program coordinator Todd Williams said.

"If we get more, it would take more work because we have to have advisers to kind of watch over them," he said. "We don't want a mess of them we have to keep track of. ... We have to follow some real strict guidelines."

Strict guidelines are understandable for members who might not even be able to drive without a licensed driver in the front seat. One of the more important restrictions is they aren't allowed in or near a burning structure - for that, they need to be 18 and certified. They also aren't allowed to respond to hazardous spills or downed power lines.

The junior firefighters are a support staff of sorts.

"They support us in a lot of ways. They change air packs, they get equipment, they roll up hoses. They do a lot of the dirty work," Williams said.

When the department is called out to a fire in the Rockford area, a page goes out to members. Responding to the pages isn't mandatory for the juniors but they are expected to come if they can, Williams said.

"They can do quite a bit. We try to let them do as much as possible," he said. "They've all been really good. They know what they can and can't do and that makes it easier."

Williams has worked out an arrangement with high school principal Brian Fortkamp and parents that in the event of a severe fire, central dispatch can call the school to dispatch junior firefighters to the scene. It's not something they do often, because the department prioritizes the juniors' education. But Williams said they've had to do it before.

"It helped having the juniors there. It helped us get stuff done before mutual aide arrived," he said.

Many juniors go on to become Rockford firefighters once they graduate and complete training, such as Williams' daughter Amy Bruce, a third generation firefighter.

Another firefighter who began as a junior is Austin Barna. He said the experience made him want to stay on with the department.

"You get to experience stuff and see how things work," he said.

His brother, Justin Barna, serves as junior firefighter alongside Abby Sutter, Trace Walls, Alec Schoenleben, Lillian McDonald and Tristen McKee.

The department is a "family affair," Williams said. It's one of the reasons the junior program got started. He explained so many of the firefighters' kids were hanging around the department that they figured they might as well make them official members.

"A lot of people you see here are fathers and sons or fathers and daughters," he said. "Cousins and siblings, too."
McKee, 16, said his favorite part is helping people. His least favorite is rolling hoses.
"Guess what we're doing this week
end," Williams quipped.
McKee hopes to join his dad as a full-fledged firefighter after he graduates.
"I've always been around up here, and I like to help out," he said.

Noah Joseph, who graduated this year, was a junior who is now training to become a firefighter. He said his time in the junior program helped solidify his career choice.

"It definitely helped make up my mind," he said. "I really like doing it. I like helping people."