thedrifter
01-24-04, 06:49 AM
Boot camp
Two Minooka firefighters battle at training program
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Kris Stadalsky
SPECIAL TO SOUTHWEST WEEKLY
Kyle Symons, 18, and Brian Stevens, 23, both of Minooka, had a big taste of what military boot camp might be like recently, even though they have never been in the service.
The two Minooka firefighters were sent to a six-week intense training program at the Fire Service Institute at the University of Illinois in Champaign. All firefighters from Minooka attend a training program, but this is the first year the department has utilized the U of I academy.
"It's the best in the state and second best in the nation," said Symons.
The program is called a Para-military academy and a retired Marine colonel runs it. It has a boot-camp atmosphere, said Symons.
For six weeks, the men rose early every morning for physical activity like running; practical training, including live burns and rescue situations; and classes. At night, the firefighters would even have to study.
They had 240 hours of class time and over 200 hours of practical time.
Tough training
"It was every bit as tough as everyone said it would be," Symons said.
The Minooka Fire Department relies heavily on volunteer firefighters, but that doesn't stop Fire Chief Al Yancey from wanting the best training for his men and women. Yancey himself is a field instructor at the Fire Service Institute.
Symons and Stevens were the two youngest men at the academy; they also represented the smallest department. At first they took a lot of grief for their young age, but toward the end, as they proved themselves, the tables turned.
During one burn, two ex-Marines came out of the burning building throwing up, unable to go back in, said Stevens. Their clothes were smoking as they were peeling them off. Symons and Stevens held their own.
Hot brick ovens
The burning buildings, set up by the academy, were like hot brick ovens, said Symons.
"We burned on the average of five or six times a day," he said.
Stevens compared the work to jumping into a bon fire wearing a snowsuit and a 30-pound weight on your back.
"I sometimes wondered 'why are we here?'" he said.
The instructors, many of them former military men, found different ways to keep pushing the men. During a fire, the fighters must be able to handle just about anything. They even had to perform self-rescues like running out of air in their tanks.
"We had the best of the best instructors," said Symons.
The military-like training is necessary to keep the men on their toes. The instructors push the trainees so that in a real-life fire situation, the men will push themselves and instinctively know what to do.
Hard-core training
"They are training you to react, not to stop and think what you do," said Stevens.
After one particularly grueling burn at 1 a.m., the two Minooka firefighters left their tools sitting on the ground while they went to change their air bottles. Leaving equipment out is unacceptable, said Stevens.
"We got chewed out for two hours," Stevens said. "I was so tired; I was just staring at the light switch (the entire time)."
Team building exercises are an integral part of the academy, said Yancey. The 24 men who attended the academy were split into companies. Each company worked together all the time. They built camaraderie and learned to depend upon each other.
"Team building exercises are a huge part of the process," said Yancey. "(The company) becomes a family in every sense of the word," said Symons.
Graduted with flying colors
Despite the fact that Symons and Stevens were the two youngest firefighters at the academy, they graduated with flying colors. Stevens finished second in the class and Symons in the top five. Only 16 of the original 24 men graduated from the academy.
Symons joined the Minooka department as a cadet when he was just 16 and while attending Minooka high school. He always knew he would someday be a firefighter — it runs in the family.
His great-grandfather, Ike VanAsdlen, was the fire chief in Minooka for many years and his grandfather, Don McCoy, was the department's president.
Stevens loves belonging to the Minooka Fire Department because he can't stand to sit still in an office.
"I need the excitement, it's what I want to do for the rest of my life," he said.
Practicing skills
Thanks to training officer Brad Sprague, Minooka's firefighters work on their skills every day of the week. They have daily shift training and weekly training nights on Wednesday for the entire crew. They even have a building behind the station used strictly for training exercises.
"Our department is big on training," said Symons. "When we do have a call, we know what to do."
Now that Symons is a state-certified firefighter as well as an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician), he is planning to apply to medic school.
Stevens would like to become a full-time firefighter and is planning to attend Joliet Junior College's EMT program. Full-time firefighters must also be EMTs.
Attending the U of I was both a thrill and a great opportunity for Symons and Stevens.
"Most people don't get an opportunity to do this kind of stuff so young," Symons said.
"I feel as confident (now) as the next person," said Stevens.
01/23/04
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/heraldnews/city/j23swcover.htm
Sempers,
Roger
:marine:
Two Minooka firefighters battle at training program
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Kris Stadalsky
SPECIAL TO SOUTHWEST WEEKLY
Kyle Symons, 18, and Brian Stevens, 23, both of Minooka, had a big taste of what military boot camp might be like recently, even though they have never been in the service.
The two Minooka firefighters were sent to a six-week intense training program at the Fire Service Institute at the University of Illinois in Champaign. All firefighters from Minooka attend a training program, but this is the first year the department has utilized the U of I academy.
"It's the best in the state and second best in the nation," said Symons.
The program is called a Para-military academy and a retired Marine colonel runs it. It has a boot-camp atmosphere, said Symons.
For six weeks, the men rose early every morning for physical activity like running; practical training, including live burns and rescue situations; and classes. At night, the firefighters would even have to study.
They had 240 hours of class time and over 200 hours of practical time.
Tough training
"It was every bit as tough as everyone said it would be," Symons said.
The Minooka Fire Department relies heavily on volunteer firefighters, but that doesn't stop Fire Chief Al Yancey from wanting the best training for his men and women. Yancey himself is a field instructor at the Fire Service Institute.
Symons and Stevens were the two youngest men at the academy; they also represented the smallest department. At first they took a lot of grief for their young age, but toward the end, as they proved themselves, the tables turned.
During one burn, two ex-Marines came out of the burning building throwing up, unable to go back in, said Stevens. Their clothes were smoking as they were peeling them off. Symons and Stevens held their own.
Hot brick ovens
The burning buildings, set up by the academy, were like hot brick ovens, said Symons.
"We burned on the average of five or six times a day," he said.
Stevens compared the work to jumping into a bon fire wearing a snowsuit and a 30-pound weight on your back.
"I sometimes wondered 'why are we here?'" he said.
The instructors, many of them former military men, found different ways to keep pushing the men. During a fire, the fighters must be able to handle just about anything. They even had to perform self-rescues like running out of air in their tanks.
"We had the best of the best instructors," said Symons.
The military-like training is necessary to keep the men on their toes. The instructors push the trainees so that in a real-life fire situation, the men will push themselves and instinctively know what to do.
Hard-core training
"They are training you to react, not to stop and think what you do," said Stevens.
After one particularly grueling burn at 1 a.m., the two Minooka firefighters left their tools sitting on the ground while they went to change their air bottles. Leaving equipment out is unacceptable, said Stevens.
"We got chewed out for two hours," Stevens said. "I was so tired; I was just staring at the light switch (the entire time)."
Team building exercises are an integral part of the academy, said Yancey. The 24 men who attended the academy were split into companies. Each company worked together all the time. They built camaraderie and learned to depend upon each other.
"Team building exercises are a huge part of the process," said Yancey. "(The company) becomes a family in every sense of the word," said Symons.
Graduted with flying colors
Despite the fact that Symons and Stevens were the two youngest firefighters at the academy, they graduated with flying colors. Stevens finished second in the class and Symons in the top five. Only 16 of the original 24 men graduated from the academy.
Symons joined the Minooka department as a cadet when he was just 16 and while attending Minooka high school. He always knew he would someday be a firefighter — it runs in the family.
His great-grandfather, Ike VanAsdlen, was the fire chief in Minooka for many years and his grandfather, Don McCoy, was the department's president.
Stevens loves belonging to the Minooka Fire Department because he can't stand to sit still in an office.
"I need the excitement, it's what I want to do for the rest of my life," he said.
Practicing skills
Thanks to training officer Brad Sprague, Minooka's firefighters work on their skills every day of the week. They have daily shift training and weekly training nights on Wednesday for the entire crew. They even have a building behind the station used strictly for training exercises.
"Our department is big on training," said Symons. "When we do have a call, we know what to do."
Now that Symons is a state-certified firefighter as well as an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician), he is planning to apply to medic school.
Stevens would like to become a full-time firefighter and is planning to attend Joliet Junior College's EMT program. Full-time firefighters must also be EMTs.
Attending the U of I was both a thrill and a great opportunity for Symons and Stevens.
"Most people don't get an opportunity to do this kind of stuff so young," Symons said.
"I feel as confident (now) as the next person," said Stevens.
01/23/04
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/heraldnews/city/j23swcover.htm
Sempers,
Roger
:marine: