Fire Academy Encourages New Generation of Firefighters
- Maria O'Donnell
- Apr 24
- 5 min read
BY Maria G. O’Donnell
Staff Writer
Submitted photos
Rigorous Summer Camp Prepares Cadets for Emergencies
Looking for a challenge this summer? West Hartford’s Teen Fire Academy will be held this coming summer and is open to ages 13 to 17. Five full days will prove to be challenging, opening campers, or cadets, to leadership and teamwork opportunities in firefighting and emergency medical services that could impact a lifetime and set youth toward rewarding career paths.
The program started in 2023, the year after Community Support Officer Andrew W. Eccles started working for the West Hartford Fire Department Training and Support Services. As camp coordinator, Eccles emphasized the need for campers to carefully review the expectations on the website. (Google “Teen Fire Academy” for the link to call up the registration page for full information.)
Eccles explained that it’s important to read the expectations before signing up because, not only is it hot at the end of July in full gear, but you’re also “lifting objects you’re not used to, there are uncomfortable situations, it’s dark and you’re not able to see,” he said, giving just a few examples of what to expect.
According to the website, “Cadets will receive direct instruction from West Hartford Firefighters and Paramedics (including physical fitness, first aid leadership and team building), have the opportunity to tour various fire apparatus and view demonstrations with fire/extrication equipment. Fire Academy is highly interactive, very ‘hands-on’ in nature and can be physically strenuous at times. Most activities occur in teams of two with direct oversight from a West Hartford Firefighter and require campers be able to follow explicit rules to ensure safety. For safety reasons, attendance at all sessions is required.”
The Fire Academy Basics session runs July 27-31, 9am-3pm., and is required if cadets wish to take Fire Academy Advanced Skills the following week, Aug. 3-7, 9am-3pm. For the Advanced session, according to the website, “Cadets will have the opportunity to practice vehicle extrication, rope rescue, search and rescue, as well as various team building exercises. It is imperative that cadets come prepared to follow explicit rules and directions from West Hartford Firefighters. For safety reasons, attendance at all sessions is mandatory.”
Teen Fire Academy is open not only to West Hartford, but all surrounding towns, and is capped at 20 cadets per session. Eccles noted the rigor required in the expectations: orders to follow, structure, punctuality. “I based it on the CT Fire Academy Recruitment School,” he said, which is where the department sends new hires for 16 weeks. “Mine is one week,” said Eccles. “The style we teach is like that style.”
Eccles also noted that firefighting has typically been a generational career path, but that the newer generation doesn’t have that. He said, “The camp gives teens, with no family or coach to show what a first responder is, the experience of fire service. How would you know what any of this stuff is?”
“Fire service is a family,” Eccles said, adding he never had anyone in his family in the fire service, though typically 80% of members in any department has a father or grandfather who’s been a firefighter.
When Eccles stopped doing competitive sports in high school and college, “I looked for that family. West Hartford is 100% that family you have,” and are referred to as brothers and sisters. “It’s amazing. You spend 24 hours a day, every other day with them. You meet families and kids; do calls; have breakfast, lunch and dinner together; clean, work out and cry together. We go to families’ bar-b-q’s and birthday parties. It’s a wonderful career if this is something for you.”
Eccles acknowledged, “I don’t expect 100% of them to become firefighters, maybe one or two, or maybe contribute to the community and have a respect for public service.”
The Fire Academy exposes teens to experiences they’d never have an opportunity to do, according to Eccles. The 13- to 17-year-old age group is the ideal time for such exposure, as youth are still finding their paths in life. “We let the dynamics play out in camp,” Eccles explained. Communication starts slow on day one, but by day five, he’s witnessed friendships build, “maybe long-term.”
The cadets have to relinquish their phones at the start of each day and get them returned by the end of the day. “With the phone gone, they have to communicate with each other. It gets them involved,” Eccles said. Speaking of communication, he noted, “The best compliment I had from a parent was that for two years, their kid never talked at dinner. After camp, the kid wouldn’t stop talking at dinner about it. Parents say they talk about things they experience.”
On day one, campers learn an intro to the fire department with basics such as opening a hydrant and understanding certain emergency tools. “By day five, they’re full graduates,” Eccles said. “They ride in on the fire truck and parents watch as they get off and deploy the hose, mask-up, and put out a simulated fire. Parents wonder, ‘What happened?’ because of what they’ve accomplished: A great transformation in five days.”
Eccles described the process as: Day one, they crawl; day two, they walk; days three and four, they run; and day five, they sprint. “I try to build leadership; the cadets delegate to get others to do things,” he said, noting that this prepares them for leadership roles in school and on jobs. Knowing the cadets also need some lightheartedness, “I throw in fun stuff,” he said, such as a water balloon fight. “They like to have fun and mess around sometimes. It’s how I like to teach.”
The department’s firefighters volunteer to help with the camp. “I appreciate the people who step up,” said Eccles. Eight firefighters attend each day, with four squad leaders – one leader per group of students consistently each day. This provides for leaders “who know their names and weaknesses, and I can create the program around that,” Eccles said.
“The camp builds teamwork,” Eccles emphasized. “You need to work as a team in this service. I rely on everyone around me – they’re doing their job, or you could die.”
“The Chief (Greg H. Priest) is very supportive,” said Eccles. “The Chief is really into community enhancement – we are the fabric of the community; we’re present in it, part of it.”
Eccles continues community outreach by running an Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) Program at both Conard and Hall High Schools. EMR trains participants to volunteer to drive an ambulance and fire truck. “When they get accredited with their certification, they can drive an ambulance or volunteer right out of high school,” said Eccles, who also plans to start an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) program in the high schools next school year. WHL
Teen Fire Academy
The West Hartford Fire Department is excited to offer two Summer Youth Fire Academy programs in conjunction with West Hartford Leisure Services and the West Hartford Professional Firefighters Union.
Fire Academy Basics: Age 13-17
July 27-31, 9am-3pm (RES $200/NRES $210)
Fire Academy Advanced Skills: Age 13-17:
Aug. 3-7, 9am-3pm (RES $200/NRES $210)