OCEAN CITY, Md. - In Ocean City, the future is burning bright for dozens of teenagers.
25 cadets have joined the men and women of the Ocean City Fire Department.
"I fell in love with it when I was a little kid. I always wanted to be a firefighter, my dad was my hero, my superman. I joined it with love and grew more love for it, and it's definitely something I want to do for the rest of my life," said former cadet, Seth Goggin.
For over 40 years the fire department has maintained their cadet program, recruiting young people. The teens are trained to assist the experts on fire and EMS calls like they did here with this drill.
"They simulated an actual fire and they were able to put it out and suppress it, as part of a training simulation," said Ocean City Fire Department's Public Information Officer, Ryan Whittington.
"It's vital to let them know what volunteerism is about; let them help the community, and serve the community in which they live," said Whittington.
The benefit: taking the teenagers off the streets and putting them into a program that would prepare them for the future. Officials say some even complete state and national certifications for police and fire, which allows them to apply for a firefighter position right out of high school. Officials say it would normally take three to four years to get a certification, with this program, it only takes a year. And the program is proving to be a success, in the last five years, participation has quadrupled
Reported By: Alyana Gomez, Reporter
From: www.wmdt.com
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