A year’s worth of training was put to the test for cadets in the Howell Public Schools Fire Academy as they participated in their final practical training of the year. For the training, the cadets learned what it is like to confront an actual fire by visiting the Hamburg Fire Department Burn Tower. While in the burn tower, the cadets completed several exercises such as observing how a fire begins and grows, pulling hoses into the building, and performing search-and-rescue operations in a smoke-filled room.
“We got to go inside and feel the heat from a real fire, experience the smoke and see what it is like to be in a burning building,” said Cadet Jared Kaminski. “It’s very hot in the building, you want to stay low, and as soon as you stand up, you can feel how hot it gets on your gear.”
The Howell Public Schools Fire Academy is a unique program that allows high school juniors and seniors to complete the required classroom and practical training needed to earn their state firefighters certification. Several graduates of the Howell Public Schools Fire Academy are now employed by local fire departments.
