HAMPDEN — The Hampden Fire Department recent announced it is accepting applications for its new cadet program from Hampden and Wilbraham residents ages 16-18.
As part of the cadet program, residents will fulfill a role similar to a probationary firefighter through their training alongside other members of the department and assistance with non-emergency calls. In this role, the cadets will support the town’s firefighters by completing tasks that allow the other members to focus on helping during calls, Lt. Nick Bertrand told Reminder Publishing.
Any cadets who join the department will have the opportunity to work with the other members of the department much like mentors until they age out of the cadet program at 18, Bertrand said. At this age, cadets could then choose whether to pursue becoming a firefighter permanently.
“It’s also a way for them to get exposed to this line of work whether they want to keep doing it as an on-call volunteer or they are looking for a career path opportunity, they can see what the fire department is like and delve into the career side as well,” Bertrand stated.
In order to keep their place in the department, cadets must maintain a specified grade-point average in school, Fire Chief Ed Poulin said. He stated that the department was working with the school system to ensure that students remain active in school while a cadet. There is no cost for residents to join the program.
Poulin explained that the idea for a cadet program was raised prior to his arrival as chief but that the department hadn’t been able to support a program with its low number of staff. The idea was then recently reignited after the Monson Fire Department notified Poulin that a resident was interested in a potential cadet program in Hampden, he said.
“I thought that we need to make it happen when I saw that someone from our community was interested in a program that we weren’t offering,” Poulin said.
Bertrand, who started as a cadet at Shaker Pines Fire Department when he was 14, highlighted the benefits of joining the department at an earlier age. He noted that he learned practical skills such as using a ladder and hose, which helped with his work later on at the academy, in addition to becoming comfortable around the other members of the department.
Both Bertrand and Poulin also emphasized that the program would help the cadets become more involved in the community.
“There’s other choices that people can make. We’re hoping that someone will choose us to help keep them busy or occupied and we can teach them important lessons in life. Even if they choose not to follow this path, there’s obviously things that we can hopeful teach that are going to help them out further in life,” Poulin said. “And if they choose to keep going in the firefighter career path, this is an excellent foot in the door.”
If a cadet did decide to continue the path as a firefighter, the lessons they learned from the program would support them in applying, finding sponsorship and attending state training, Poulin explained.
Hampden and Wilbraham residents that are interested in joining the cadet program can visit the Hampden Fire Department at 19 North Rd. from Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. to pick up an application, Poulin stated.
“Our members … they’re great people. They love to share knowledge so anybody who comes here I think is going to get a lot of people here who want to teach,” he said.
