Students in Lake Country made it through firefighter bootcamp

Some of the next generation of Lake Country firefighters got their first glimpse of life as a first responder this spring break. The Lake Country Fire Department organized a Junior Firefighter Bootcamp for students in grade 11 and 12 from George Elliot, Mount Boucherie, Immaculata, Rutland and Vernon Secondary schools. Students learned firefighter skills and ran through drills. They learned how to pull someone from a car wreck and use the fire truck ladder. Students even learned CPR, first aid, and how to use a defibrillator, according to a press release.  “I really liked learning the rope tying knots and was a little scared of the (self-contained breathing apparatus) breathing equipment and the ladder truck,” participant Marixa said in the release. “But we were given intense safety briefings and the instructors walked us through everything step by step. I connected with the firefighters and the other students in the program. It was a great experience.” READ MORE: Night once brought firefighting reprieve in BC, but no longer: TRU prof https://infotel.ca/newsitem/night-once-brought-firefighting-reprieve-in-bc-but-no-longer-tru-prof/it103725 The program benefited students and their firefighting instructors. “This kind of training is part of our community involvement,” Deputy Fire Chief Kynan O’Rourke said in the release. “Not only does it give senior high school students some exposure to firefighter skills so they may decide to go on to a career in first response (and maybe a new crew of recruits for us in Lake Country), but it sharpens our members’ training and leadership skills.” O’Rourke hopes the program will continue with another group of students next year. “This is adult learning in a professional environment; this type of training will kickstart them after high school,” lead firefighter for the program Rayman Bassi said. To contact a reporter for this story, email Jesse Tomas mailto:jtomas@infonews.ca  or call 250-488-3065 or email the editor mailto:news@infonews.ca . You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom mailto:tips@infonews.ca  and be entered to win a monthly prize draw. We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here https://infotel.ca/newsletter .