Aspiring Firefighters Learn Skills at FASNY’s Youth Day

According to former Hudson Fire Chief Paul Beaumont, Youth Day is held at a different fire department each year.

This is the first time Hudson has hosted the event.

Beaumont said over 60 junior firefighters, ages 12 to 19, participated in a series of hands-on training exercises during Friday’s event. Of those, 12 were from Hudson.

“The kids are excited,” Beaumont said.

He added that each participant hopes to one day be a volunteer firefighter for their respective department.

“In their communities there’s a lot of accidents every day, so they are learning skills,” Beaumont said.

Training started at 8 a.m. and ran until noon. During that time participants practiced search and rescue, vehicle extrications, second-floor bailouts, forcible entry simulations, mask confidence and wall breaching. They also participated in a hose relay competition.

The junior firefighters were divided into groups and spent an hour at each training station before moving on to the next. Upon completion, they were awarded a certificate.

Beaumont said around 40 volunteer firefighters from the Hudson and Greenport fire departments, as well as volunteers from the Hudson Ladies Auxiliary, were at the station Friday to help with the event.

Youths from the following fire departments participated in the event: Baldwinsville Volunteer Fire Company, Inc., Chili Fire Department, Cincinnatus Fire Department, Coxsackie Hose Company No. 3, Greenport Rescue Squad, Inc., Hudson Fire Department, Mattydale Fire Department, Mattydale Junior Fire Department, Medway-Grapeville Fire Department, Preble Fire Department, Wassaic Fire Company, Inc., Wassaic Junior Fire Company, Inc. and West Babylon Fire Department.

“It’s a diverse group,” Bruck Mack said of the junior firefighters.

Mack is a member of the FASNY public relations committee and the fire chief for the Frontier Volunteer Fire Company in the town of Wheatfield, which is located in Niagara County.

For some participants who live farther away from Hudson, the fire department provided a place to stay Thursday night so youths could make it to Friday’s training on time.

“We understand it’s a difficulty with distance, but the city of Hudson had 48 [youths] stay over at the firehouse,” said Chris DePew, a volunteer firefighter for the Napanoch Fire Department, located in Ulster County, and the chair of FASNY’s Youth and Fire Service Committee.

One of the Hudson high school students who participated in Friday’s events said he wanted to become a firefighter because of his dad.

“My dad was a firefighter,” said Ian Hutching. “I want to represent Hudson.

Hutching attended last year’s Youth Day and said the training activities were different this year.

Another Hudson resident, Trevor Otty, said that the bailout was his favorite part of the training because he learned how to lower himself out of a window with a rope.

Otty attends Hudson High School and has family members who volunteer for the city’s fire department.

“I know some of the men and they got me to want to be a firefighter and help the community,” he said.