Highlands School District and local emergency responder services leaders teamed up to form a new course that will alleviate a nationwide trend of decreasing numbers of volunteers in the district’s neighborhoods.
The Highlands Emergency Services Alliance (HESA), comprised of eight volunteer fire companies, will offer a firefighting course at Highlands High School, allowing students to receive credits for time training and hopefully retaining their services in the community post-graduation.
Students can join a company prior to age 18 as a junior member.
The decreasing number of volunteers can be attributed to the 160 hours of required training, which many adults with one or two jobs and families can’t afford to undertake. By offering the HESA course, which more than 30 students already have enrolled in, the training hours can be completed before adult schedules become so hectic that volunteerism is out of the question.
AKH (Allegheny-Kiski Health) Foundation partnered with HESA through a Community Challenge Grant program.
“The foundation’s role is to help local communities clearly define their goals, and provide organizational support and financial incentive,” said AKH Foundation President and CEO John Pastorek.
The AKH Foundation will grant $25,000 to HESA if they achieve their Challenge goal of reaching 500 local families through its Life Safety Community Outreach programs. HESA will establish a scholarship endowment for students who complete the program with those funds.
Mike Krzeminski, a social studies teacher and Certified State Instructor, will teach the course at Highlands High School. The class will a role model course, as it is the first in the state and possibly the nation to offer this program during regular school hours.
“There are skills to be learned, but there is also discipline,” Mr. Krzeminski said. “And it all will start here in the new fire training class offered at Highlands High School.”
During Fire Safety Month (October), groups of students will inspect residential smoke alarms to make sure they are operational.
Safety Expo to feature Highlands students
A Safety Expo will be held in the parking lot of the Heights Plaza from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 13. The expo will feature students of Mr. Mike Krzeminski, a Certified State Instructor in fire safety and a social studies teacher at the High School. Mr. Krzeminski will be instructing more than 30 students firefighting and life-saving skills in a one-of-a-kind course offered this year through the Highlands Emergency Services Alliance (HESA).
HESA is comprised of eight local volunteer fire companies. By offering the course at the high school level, there is potential to increase the number of volunteers locally or open doors to an exciting and rewarding career for some students' futures.
The Safety Expo is sponsored by the Allegheny-Kiski Health Foundation, which also partnered with HESA through a Community Challenge Grant program.
The innovative, unique program is being used as a role model course for other schools and organizations throughout the country.
Bell rings for firefighting class at Highlands
By Tom Yerace
VALLEY NEWS DISPATCH
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Buzz up!
When the school year starts in August, some Highlands students won't need a fire lit under them to get enthused; they'll be learning how to fight them.
Late last year, the school board approved a course at the high school to teach firefighting skills, strategies and techniques to students.
"I'm really excited about it," said Mike Krzeminski, a social studies/government teacher at the high school and a firefighter with Harrison's Hilltop Hose.
He said Highlands is the first school district in the country to attempt this.
The idea is to inspire students to continue on as volunteer firefighters serving their communities. They possibly could earn a living as firefighters in paid municipal departments or in private industry.
"We're hoping that that will increase the membership in these companies," said Tarentum Borough Manager Bill Rossey, a firefighter with Highland Hose for 35 years. "We're all struggling."
Rossey thought that a high school course could stem that tide. He said all nine volunteer fire companies in the school district endorsed the idea and formed the Highlands Emergency Services Alliance to move the proposition forward.
Rossey approached Krzeminski, Hilltop Hose's training officer, about teaching such a class. Krzeminski did not have to be persuaded. He, Rossey and the HESA developed a course outline, which the administration OKed and the school board approved as a three-credit course.
"We figured what better way to do this than to teach it in school because nobody wants to go to classes at night or after school," Rossey said. "We're going to teach them first aid, CPR, plus basic fire service and emergency service techniques."
With schedules still being built for the fall, Krzeminski said he doesn't know how many students have signed up for the elective course. Between 20 and 30 students, the maximum the class could hold, are believed to have signed up.
Sophomore Jeremy Fox, 15, of Tarentum, and junior Steve Negrich, 16, of Harrison have signed up.
"I think it is a good idea, that it can get some kids out of trouble, get them in to a fire company and help the community," said Fox, a junior member of Sarver Volunteer Fire Co. "It's a fun trade. It's got its dangers, but that's the risk you've got to take, it's part of the job."
Negrich, a junior member of Hilltop Hose, said, "I was excited, instantly. It's something you can train for in-school instead of having to go after school. It's nice.
"I like how we'll get to use our equipment during the class and do what we would do at a fire."
Krzeminski said that the year-long class, which will meet every day, will involve practical firefighting exercises as well as classroom work.
For that reason, he said students who enroll must provide their own equipment, such as turnout coats, pants, boots and a helmet.
"They are going to need to join a local fire department," he said. That's how they can get that equipment, as well as insurance coverage for the training.
But Krzeminski knows that there will be some students who haven't joined a fire company. He said they can't participate in the practical exercises but will, as an alternative, be able to develop correct strategies by using computer simulators of fire scenes.
"My goal with the course is that when a student from my program turns 18, they will have met all the prerequisites and they will be well-prepared for the Firefighter 1 certification test," Krzeminski said. "That makes them a certified firefighter in the state of Pennsylvania."
"They have to raise ladders, stretch hoses, do all the basic functions that a firefighter does."
Krzeminski and Rossey said state Sen. Sean Logan is working to land a $15,000 grant for the program to pay for the textbooks and some equipment. There are several other grants for which the Krzeminski and the HSEA is applying to pay for course materials.
"Really, the only thing the school district is paying for is the instructor," Rossey said.
Krzeminski is anxious to get started.
"I'm also very excited about teaching a class where discipline has to be so high," he said. " A lot of young people don't have discipline.
"For this class, it's not optional, it has to be there. It's a matter of life and death."
Tom Yerace can be reached at tyerace@tribweb.com or 724-226-4675
Highlands Emergency Services Alliance (HESA) donated 21 firefighter equipment bags to the students in the High School.
The students, participants in Mr. Michael Krzeminski's HESA-affiliated firefighting instruction course, can use the bags to transport firefighting equipment to and from school. The durable, heavyweight bags cost more than $800, and were supplied through a donation made by Mr. Sam Huey. Mr. Huey presented the bags to the students in early December.
The course is a unique, pilot program class that instructs firefighting and emergency services skills to students in hopes of sparking interests in the field and recruiting members at a younger age. Since its initiation, other school districts and emergency services departments are monitoring the course and anticipate launching similar classes in the future.
Thank you, HESA and Mr. Huey, for supporting our students!
Please follow the link to the website for a picture.
According to a National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) report, approximately 70% of the United States and 38% of it's population is covered by volunteers. The U.S. Fire Administrations reports that volunteers comprise two-thirds of the estimated 1.2 million firefighters in this country.
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) conducted a survey and found that between 1983 and 2005, the number of volunteer firefighters has steadily decreased while their ages have steadily increased.
Through this program, we hope to get school students, perhaps even their parent(s) involved with a department in their community. Provide training in fire safety, prevention and extinguishment along with various types of rescue and emergency medical work.
Some students and/or their parent(s) may already be involved and to them we say thanks. For others, we would like to perhaps guide them towards a rewarding profession.
Interested in some financial help for an Associates Degree? Please read the following about the FireVEST Scholarship.
Fire Volunteer, Education, Service and Training (FireVEST) Scholarship Program
The Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC) in partnership with the Allegheny County Workforce Alliance and Allegheny County Fire Academy in an effort to help recruit, train and staff volunteer fire departments in Allegheny County are offering a Certificate/Associates Degree scholarship program.
These are full scholarships for residents of Allegheny County who currently volunteer of have just joined a volunteer fire department in the county.
Of the 200 scholarships offered per year, 150 of them are earmarked for new recruits in exchange for a commitment of 5 years service to a volunteer department and 50 will be awarded to existing volunteers in exchange for a commitment of an additional 5 years of service.
So for those people who may be looking at starting a college degree program and have financial concerns, please check out the following link: http://www.ccac.edu/default.aspx?id=145827 and help your community at the same time.
Highlands Emergency Services Alliance
Firefighting class ignites Highlands students' interest
By Doug Gulasy,
VALLEY NEWS DISPATCH
Thursday, May 28, 2009
A year ago, Highlands became the first school district in the country to offer a firefighting skills course. Now, interest in the class is growing faster than the fires students are taught to battle.
"(The class) has gone very, very well," said Mike Krzeminski, a social studies/government teacher at the high school who teaches the course. "It has exceeded my expectations in many ways."
The course is sponsored by Highlands Emergency Services Alliance, which includes all but one of the fire companies in Tarentum, Brackenridge, Harrison and Fawn.
The course was created to get students interested in volunteering for their local fire departments, which have suffered from low volunteer numbers in recent years. The lack of volunteers is felt "all over the country," said alliance President Bill Rossey, Tarentum Borough manager. "It's not just this area where we have a lack of firefighters." Rossey said there were 350,000 volunteer firefighters in Pennsylvania in the 1970s, but there are just 50,000 now. "That's staggering," he said. "People don't realize that."
Krzeminski said five or six of the 21 students in the class became volunteers after taking the course. He said five or six more were interested but were still too young, while other students already had served as volunteers.
Highlands will continue the class next year and Krzeminski estimated there would be between 25 and 30 students. Of that number, many will be students from this year's class who decided to take the course again.
Junior Steven Rea is one of them. He earned five certifications with the class this year. "I was just interested in what was being taught, and training always helps us," Rea said. Rea served as a volunteer for Harrison Hills Volunteer Fire Company prior to taking the class. While he is considering a career in firefighting, he is still undecided.
The school district is considering a second class to teach more advanced firefighting techniques to go along with the current introductory course, but Krzeminski said that wouldn't be offered until at least the 2010-11 school year.
Krzeminski is taking classes at the state fire academy this summer to become certified to teach the four "essentials" of firefighting in his class next year: introduction to firefighting, fire ground support, exterior firefighter and interior firefighter.
While Highlands was the first district to offer a firefighting training class, Krzeminski said he has been contacted by other schools interested in starting similar courses. He told them cooperation from area fire departments is paramount for such a class to succeed. "That's why this is working: because we have the cooperation of numerous fire departments," Krzeminski said.
"We can't agree on color of fire apparatus or brand of fire apparatus," Krzeminski said, "but we agree this is important."
Training facility in works.
The Highlands Emergency Services Alliance still is pursuing the construction of a fire training center on the Highlands High School campus in Harrison to be used in conjunction with the school's firefighting course. HESA originally pitched the idea to the school board in February. The board gave the alliance permission to look for a location but hasn't allowed construction to take place.
HESA President Bill Rossey said an estimated cost for the facility hasn't been determined. The association submitted a grant request for $700,000 through the Department of Homeland Security for a mobile training facility. Rossey said this trailer would be the first step in getting a full training facility.
If the facility is built, local fire departments will be able to use it to continue their training and to help renew state-required certifications. Rossey said HESA plans to continue working with the firefighting class in the future.
"We're definitely committed to and involved with this program," he said.
Doug Gulasy, an intern for the Valley News Dispatch, can be reached at dgulasey@tribweb.com.
The Highlands Emergency Services Alliance and students of this elective program were featured in an article of a bimonthly publication of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association as a "Bright Idea" describing innovative programs, concepts and techniques in PA schools. Please click the following link to read the article.
