10 Conestoga Students Join Junior Firefighter, EMS Program

BERWYN, PA – The Berwyn Fire Company has some new junior members, as 10 students from Conestoga High School are part of the company's junior firefighter and junior EMS programs to help keep their community safe while giving the folks at the fire company some assistance.

While many fire companies around the country have been seeing low volunteer numbers, the Berwyn Fire Company has been seeing more new faces at its station, including the new juniors.

The following Conestoga students are working toward becoming certified firefighters and EMTs:

Junior Firefighter Program

• Tyler Brundage
• Clay Cochran
• Ryan Kramer
• Scott Miesen
• Matthew Smith Tucker
• Eric Rodgers Vargo
• Patrick Winnemore

Junior EMS Program

• Venul Fernando
• Georgia Hritz
• Ashley Kramer

According to the fire company, these 10 students will undergo hundreds of hours of training over the next couple of years in order to be become certified as firefighters and emergency medical technicians.

Nine students are Tredyffrin residents while one is an Easttown resident.

For seven years the Conestoga High School Firefighter/EMT Club has helped the fire company by recruiting new members to become firefighters and EMS providers, the fire company said. The club is open to all students, but to follow through and become a volunteer students must be a at least 16 years old.

Before the club was started, student volunteers were allowed to leave school for calls dating back to the mid 1980s, the fire company said. Since that time over 30 volunteers continue to remain active in fire and/or EMS roles, including several leadership positions such as fire chief, EMS captain and president.

"This partnership between the area fire companies and TESD serves as a model of understanding of how our community is served by volunteers," the fire company said. "While these student volunteers aren't leaving school for all calls, it does allow them the flexibility to respond to major incidents or when additional personnel are needed during daytime hours."

students in the club must maintain the same academic performance as other students who qualify for sports and other extracurricular activities to be permitted to leave for emergency calls, the fire company said. This is subject to the approval of the fire chief and school administration. Student who are able to respond to emergency calls are also provided parking spaces near the front of the school parking lot so they can reduce their response times to the station, the fire company said.

Way to step up students. You make Conestoga and the Tredyffrin-Easttown community very proud!

Pictured above are Berwyn Fire Chief Eamon Brazunas, Conestoga High School Principal Dr. Amy Meisinger, Student Fire/EMS Volunteers, and Berwyn EMS Captain Michael Baskin

Image via Berwyn Fire Company