UNH Fire Science Students Get On-The-Job Training

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UNH Fire Science Students Get On The Job Training

Abbey Smith

New Haven Register

September 7th, 2009

WEST HAVEN — When University of New Haven sophomore Ed Ball is jarred from sleep by a screeching alarm, he can’t just hit snooze and roll over.

Ball and four other students are spending the semester out of the dorm and inside the Allingtown firehouse at 20 Admiral St., where they will get hands-on experience as firefighter interns. When that alarm sounds, it means there might be a fire somewhere, and these interns need to get in gear and hop on the truck. No time for hesitation or nerves. And that’s what they love about the job.

New program my volunteer house in West Haven initiated this year, the night-time driver starts this week, so they will be fully operational as of tonight I think. Great program for the district and the guys bunking (I'm not, I prefer my apartment, haha.) The guys have been living in the house for a few weeks and have been doing a good job sticking to their responsibilities and keeping the firehouse orderly. Hopefully this is the start of a long and succesfull program.

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I think it's a great program, as long as there is a mentorship component to go with it while the students are out on calls.

[SageVigiles 1,194]

Yeah, there is, Engine 8, the vollie truck, doesn't get dispatched alone. When they arrive at a call, the career guys are there, and they are more than willing to show us tips and tricks. Also, the drivers who are on duty at nights are all experienced volunteers.

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Sounds like a lot of systems that exist in the South and Northeast....