Perrysville Fire Co. Offers Weekend Tryout for Would-Be Firefighters

Did your childhood dreams center around visions of sliding down poles, racing through the streets to the shriek of sirens or helping to rescue others from flaming buildings?

It's not too late to reignite those childhood aspirations and find out if you have what it takes to fight fires in your neighborhood.

On June 18 and 19, the will host its second “Be A Firefighter for a Weekend" event. The free, two-day program offers the chance to suit up in the same gear and participate in drills and training exercises with Perrysville firefighters.

The event is open to anyone interested; there are no residency restrictions on whom may participate, although there is a maximum of 24 spots available.

Activities are scheduled from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. both days and are open to men and women who are at least 16 years old. Participants meet at the at 985 Perry Highway.

Participants will obtain a close-up view that should dispel any illusions that firefighting is easy or simple work, said Perrysville Fire Chief Eric Wissner.

“We want to allow the public to see what we go through,” he said. “What you see on TV is unrealistic. When you walk into a burning structure, even on a sunny, perfectly clear day, you can’t see anything.”

Participants will negotiate a course through professional training towers near the Ross Park Mall and at the Peebles Fire Station in McCandless, where they will use theatrical smoke to experience circumstances similar to what firefighters encounter at real fires — all while managing nearly 100 pounds of equipment. For safety reasons, their training will not include an actual fire, Wissner said.

Participants also will learn about fire behavior, safety practices and ventilation, and they will use professional equipment, including a self-contained breathing apparatus. They'll also work with ropes, hoses, ladders and water supplies and will practice search-and-rescue methods. The fire company will provide equipment and lunch, Wissner said.

Besides offering a taste of a firefighter’s duties, the fire company conducts the event in an effort to attract new members at a time when the ranks of volunteer companies are aging and rapidly dwindling around Pennsylvania and nationally, Wissner said. 

“Volunteer fire companies across the country are losing members at an incredible pace,” he said.

Wissner, 41, has been a firefighter for 25 years and works full time as a firefighter at the Pittsburgh International Airport. He is also a state fire instructor. He said he attributes the decline in volunteers to lack of time rather than lack of interest in a a sometimes dangerous but vital role. Busy people with jobs and families often find it difficult to spare additional time to respond to fires and complete 166 hours of state-mandated training, he said.

Last year, more than a dozen volunteers came out over both days of the weekend event to help with training and recruiting. They'll do so again this year.

“Having firefighters around helps so interested participants can ask questions,” Wissner said.

Of the seven residents who participated last year, three decided to join the company. Wissner said he hopes more people will come this year.

So far, the company has signed up two people for this year's event. Deadline for applications is Monday, June 13.

Jeffrey Bennett, 43, an engineer, real estate agent and fitness enthusiast, is one of the three people who joined the fire company after participating in the weekend training last year.

“Every 5-year-old boy wants to be a firefighter,” said Bennett, of Ross Township. “You see the truck and think, ‘What if you’re in there? What if you’re driving that?’ This event lets you understand more about what [firefighters] go through.”

Bennett said he was not very handy and also was afraid of climbing ladders before he took the training. He said participants were not pressured to do any tasks that made them uncomfortable, and he developed practical skills that would be useful even if he hadn't chosen to become a firefighter.

“I even tied the ladder off properly,” he said while describing a recent trip to help his father with housework.

The experience is worthwhile even for people who don't choose to become a firefighter, said Bennett, whose 17-year-old daughter will suit up this year. Though he does not think she will pursue firefighting as a career, he said he believes the training will help her to become a more well-rounded person.

All participants will receive a T-shirt, certificate and a copy of a group photo at the end of the weekend, Wissner said.

“I hope they get a sense of accomplishment, team-building and self-pride,” he said. “Even if they don’t join, they take [what they learned] back to their neighborhood.”

To register for the “Be a Firefighter for a Weekend” event, fill out the application on the Perrysville Volunteer Fire Company website, www.pvfc.org, and mail or return it to the company. All participants younger than 18 must a legal guardian’s signed permission to participate.