High-schoolers in the Dells area aspiring to a firefighting career now have an outlet within the school in which to do so.
Wisconsin Dells High School, in conjunction with Kilbourn and Delton Fire Departments, is now offering a fire training course for students. The course is every other Wednesday morning from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and is taught by former Delton Fire Department Chief Darren Jorgenson.
“It’s an awesome program,” said Jorgenson. “These kids are just amazing so far.”
“We teamed up with Delton Fire, Darren when he was there, and Madison College to try to get a class,” said Kilbourn Fire Department Chief Pat Gavinski. “We were pleasantly surprised that we got enough interest in it to host a class. We needed the 10 students, so it’s just a good opportunity to expose high school juniors and seniors to the fire service.”
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Jorgenson, who is also a Madison College instructor, said that the course follows the same curriculum that anyone would take to become a firefighter. Students in the course have access to a full set of firefighting equipment and clothing and are taught how to use and maintain the gear. They are also learning how to use fire ladders, power tools, ventilation, hose movement for various fire types, and water supply.
“They are very excited about it,” said Jorgenson. “This group is incredibly energetic and eager to learn. It makes teaching the class so much more fun. They want to be there and are asking good questions.”
Madelyn Swansby, a senior at Wisconsin Dells High School, is one of the students enrolled in the course. She said that she enrolled to receive the certification as a firefighter and to see the perspective of her father, Todd, who is a career fireman.
“I grew up in that lifestyle,” said Swansby. “I really wanted to know more about it. I only knew one side of it, and I wanted to know my dad’s side and what he goes through on a daily.”
She, like Jorgenson, said that the group of students around her in the course have a lot of enthusiasm and describes Jorgenson as “super fun” and makes the course enjoyable.
“Everyone is really into it, and that really brings a good energy,” said Swansby.
Another senior, Mikolaj Amaya-Owerczuk, is enrolled in the course and his father, Alejandro Amaya, is a volunteer firefighter for Delton Fire Department.
“I just think it’s a really cool opportunity for people to get that experience,” said Amaya-Owerczuk.
Amaya-Owerczuk sees firefighting as a possible part-time job while looking to have a career in the medical field. He describes the training with his potential career as “interrelating.”
“It will give me a really good perspective on that whole industry,” said Amaya-Owerczuk.
The course has been “a lot of fun” under Jorgenson’s instruction, and Amaya-Owerczuk said that he keeps the course “lighthearted.” He said that Jorgenson will pivot to another subject of fire training often to keep students engaged.
“He’s really good at teaching the course and is really captivating with what he does,” said Amaya-Owerczuk. “It’s just a very fun time spending those few hours of your day learning the ins and outs of being a firefighter.”
Gavinski and Jorgenson both added that students who complete the course will have the same firefighter certification level as anyone who completes fire training within a department.
“They’d be able to be on a fire grounds scene for our community or wherever else they end up,” said Gavinski.
The training from the program is not only for students who are looking to become firefighters, according to Jorgenson. He said that the skills learned in the course can be applied to any emergency situation regarding a fire, particularly if a department cannot arrive at the situation in time to prevent serious property damage, injuries, or fatalities.
“You may never want to be a firefighter in your life, but you’ll learn some valuable skills that will make you beneficial in all times of different scenarios,” said Jorgenson.
“You get into fire safety, fire prevention, all that aspect, it does provide a good safety background,” said Gavinski. “There is definitely some general background knowledge.”
