Huron Expositor, 2005-11-02, Page 111
News
From left to right: Nathan Bedard, age 16, Nic Bruxer, age 17, and Devon Long, age 17.
The three became the youngest to ever join the Hensall Fire Department back in
February. All three practice and respond to calls with the veteran firefighters.
Junior firefighters take opportunity to
learn from veterans during practices
From Page 10
approximately 35 calls a year.
Bruxer and Long have both
experienced action at a fire.
Both recall an incident
involving a gas explosion,
where they each helped hold-
ing the hose and assisting the
veteran fighters.
Bruxer says there's a thrill
involved with hurrying to the
station to suit up.
"It's (the equipment) heavy,
but it's awesome."
Every firefighter, including
the three rookies, has a pager
that they must keep on them
at all times.
"There's an adrenaline rush
every time the pager goes
off," says Long.
He adds there's a lot of
excitement when you're in
the firetruck racing down the
Street with the siren going.
Bedard hasn't faced a fire
yet, but has performed checks
for gas leaks and exterior
checks on homes when a car-
bon monoxide detector has
gone off.
The three, along with the
entire Hensall Fire
Department, take part in two
practices a month.
Each practice the depart-
ment works on different pro-
cedures such as search and
rescue using a practice house
they fill with smoke, and
mock accidents where they
use the jaws of life to cut
away pieces of a car.
Long acknowledges the vet-
eran fighters know much
more than they do, and dur-
ing practices the three can
watch and learn from them.
"We've built so much trust
with them, but at the begin-
ning there was lots of joking,"
says Long.
But there are serious times
as well, says Bruxer.
He points out during prac-
tice everyone works hard, and
everyone is serious when
there's a call.
Each of the rookies recog-
nize they may eventually
encounter an unpleasant
scene while on the job.
"They (the veterans) say
you don't know how you'll
react until you've done it,"
says Bruxer.
Living in a small village,
the three face the fact they
probably will come across a
victim they know one day on
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or at a fire.
But they say if they know a
person involved, it will only
make them want to get to the
scene as quick as possible,
and do the job as effectively
as they can.
Volunteering their time
with the department is going
towards their community
hours, which they need to put
in at school.
But for Bruxer, and possibly
the other two, this experience
they're receiving is going
towards much more than just
that.
Bruxer hopes to attend
Lakeland College in Alberta,
for their firefighter program.
Long is also considering the
program, but may also take a
year off to work, in which
case he'll continue in the
Hensall Fire Department
Bedard still has one year
left of high school, but hasn't
eliminated firefighting as a
career option either.
Bruxer summed up why the
three love the job by saying
it's a rush and that "It feels
good after a call to know
you've helped someone."
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