Fire Cadet Camp Offers Hot Session

"This is the best day of my life!"

With that, the first-ever session of Fire Cadet Camp came to a close last week accompanied by high praise from the youngsters involved.

Sixteen area children got to see what it takes to be a volunteer firefighter in the camp run jointly by the Doylestown Fire Company and the Central Bucks Family YMCA.

During one session last week, the campers gave the program their seal of approval.

"It's great," said Ryan Rosenberger.

"We get to try all kinds of cool tools and stuff," Rosenberger said hoisting a saw that Doylestown firefighters use to cut into roofs for ventilation.

Planning for the camp started last year, when Kevin Crail asked YMCA campers and their parents if they'd be interested in a firefighter-themed camp.

"We put it in the camp survey to see if the community would support it," said Crail, director for the YMCA's summer camp program. "Firefighter camp came in second behind science camp as one that the community would like to see."

Doylestown firefighter Larry Browne and his daughter Megan worked to come up with the curriculum. Browne said they chose hands-on activities with the everyday heroes that kids look up to.

"We invited in the police, so a Doylestown Borough officer came," said Browne. "The Central Bucks Ambulance folks came, and showed the kids how to respond to basic emergencies. They had a great time, and I think they learned a lot."

Marie Axler, whose son Sam, 9, took part in the camp, said she was impressed with the planning that went into it.

"Larry Browne and his daughter worked tirelessly to make sure the camp was fun and meaningful for the youth who attended," said Axler, who also works at the Y. "My son is already looking forward to attending next year."

Crail said he and Browne are talking about starting a fire cadet club through the Y in the fall. It would involve kids and tweens who are too young to become junior firefighters, he said.

Years in the future, when the cadets grow into adults, Browne said he hopes they have a better appreciation for the community role that firefighters fill.

"We hope they're having a good time," Browne said, as cadets milled around him on the camp's graduation day. "And if we get a few more firefighters out of it down the line, so much the better."