A group of 20 local teens is learning how facing fire can translate into life success.
The Young Citizen’s Academy puts at-risk youth ages 14 to 17 in twice-monthly classes to teach them life saving and firefighting skills.
“The people there, they make it feel like home,” said Joseph Allen, a 15-year-old participant.
The aim of the youth mentoring plan is to select teens in at-risk situations and provide them alternatives to help with truancy or other concerns raised by parents or educators, said Jonathan Grubb, project director.
Beginning in March with the Hamilton County Coalition/MLK Weed and Seed, participants were selected and started working with Chattanooga firefighters to learn CPR and first aid and to do volunteer work to help disabled former firefighters.
The teens will learn how to run some fire equipment but cannot fight fires until they are 21 years old and have gone through training.
Department Training Chief Mack Moore said the program uses fire training as a life model.
“As long as we’ve been going, we have not had any disciplinary issues at all in school or in the program,” he said.
Chief Moore said that, since the program focuses on youth who are borderline on truancy problems or live in neighborhoods with gangs, it can have an effect on kids who otherwise could be influenced by the wrong crowd.
That’s one of the goals of the program, Mr. Grubb said. By giving teens another outlet and an example for career paths, volunteers hope the youths will make better choices when back in their neighborhoods, he said.
Chief Moore hopes that the current participants stick with the program until they turn 18 so, if they do decide to go into firefighting, they’ll have years of experience.
Word of the program spreads by example.
In his neighborhood, “one of the dudes came up to me when I was wearing my uniform,” said Joseph.
“I do this job called Young Citizen’s Academy,” Joseph told the person. “I told him he should try it out.”