The Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services will distribute $75,000 through the Youth Volunteer Firefighter Training Program to four organizations.
- Fox Valley Technical College will receive $15,405 toward a High School Fire program, through which FVTC will offer a Firefighting Principals course at the college, part of a partnership with nine area high schools and fire departments. Through the four-credit course, will learn fire behavior and fire control techniques, and meet all requirements of Firefighter I certification in Wisconsin.
- Kewaunee County Junior Firefighter Program will receive $24,525. The program is a partnership between the Luxemburg-Casco, Algoma, Denmark, and Kewaunee school districts, along with eight area fire departments. The participating schools will recruit students, who will have the opportunity to receive credit for a course through Northeast Wisconsin Technical College. The students will be active volunteers at one of the participating fire departments, which all have mentor programs for new recruits.
- Madison Area Technical College will receive $10,070 to expand the availability of its NextGen Responders Academy, which enrolls up to 24 students in both the Spring and Fall of each academic year. Madison College will use the grant money to purchase turnout gear in outlying sizes to expand program availability and improve the safety of participants. Donations have paid for 326 scholarships to the Academy over the past year years, removing financial barriers for a diverse group of students.
- Northcentral Technical College will receive $25,000 toward its Youth Firefighter Academy, a partnership that includes the volunteer Central Fire and EMS District, and Colby and Abbotsford high schools. The college will train six high school students to be Firefighter Level I volunteers/employees and prepare them for the Emergency Medical Responder certification exam.
Recruitment and retention have become key issues for nearly all Wisconsin fire departments, but particularly the all-volunteer stations in many rural communities. The Youth Firefighter Grant Program is designed to help address these concerns by exposing high school students to career and volunteer opportunities in the fire service at a time when they are making decisions about their future careers and endeavors.
“This grant will give high school students in our district the opportunity to get a jump start on their firefighting career,” said James Austad, Fire Program Department Chair at Fox Valley Technical College.
The fire service is a key stakeholder group for DSPS. The department regulates firefighter health and safety and manages the state fire prevention program. It also administers the 2% dues program, which distributes funds collected from insurers and matched by the state back to qualifying fire departments.
In addition to responding to calls, Wisconsin fire departments provide fire prevention education to schools and community groups across the state. They also partner with organizations working to support living in place for older adults, provide critical demographic information, and offer support during weather emergencies and natural disasters like floods, tornados, and wildfires.
