Briefly speaking: Students fight fires

UC Davis senior Chelsea Johnstone was considering a future in fire service when she applied two years ago to the campus' student resident firefighter program. Her experience since then has resulted in a commitment to the career.

"It definitely solidified it," said Johnstone, a 21-year-old exercise biology major from Los Angeles.

The student firefighting program is one of just three in the nation (the other two are at Clemson University in South Carolina and the University of Alaska at Fairbanks). Members, who work alongside career firefighters, are selected through a competitive recruit academy offered every other year.

This is one of those years; applications are being accepted through Feb. 5.

Hiring process

From among about 100 student applicants, 65 are selected to participate in a physical test and oral interview. After further culling, about 20 applicants take part in the three-week academy to compete for 10 to 15 positions.

The academy includes training in the use of protective gear, self-contained breathing apparatus, ladders and hoses. Student firefighters also are taught cardiopulmonary resuscitation, advanced first aid and procedures for decontaminating emergency personnel at a hazardous materials incident.

Alongside career firefighters

Student firefighters work 14- and 24-hour shifts and participate in at least eight hours of training a month. In exchange, they are provided with a room in the fire station – and an experience unmatched by most college internships.

The student firefighters augment the staffing of the full-service fire department, which has more than 30 career personnel devoted to emergency mitigation and fire prevention. In 2008, the department responded to 1,039 calls on and off campus.

Assistant Fire Chief Wes Arvin has a special affinity for student firefighters, because that's how he began. An animal science major with an emphasis in aquaculture, he planned to become a fish farmer. "Little did I know firefighting would become a career," he said.

Although the UC Davis fire station is on campus, the department's most tangible link to the university is through the student firefighters. "We recognize how important it is," Arvin said.

Historically, more than 50 percent of students in the program go on to firefighting careers, which include paramedics, hazardous materials specialists and other fields.

Of the 15 recruits at the station today, at least a dozen see it as a future occupation, Johnstone said.

Applications are accepted from sophomores and juniors. Johnstone encouraged parents to have their Aggies apply. The role requires a two-year commitment, but no experience is necessary. Students from nearly every major have been selected.

Johnstone said parents shouldn't worry about campus emergencies interfering with studies. Students aren't allowed to respond to fire calls when they have class. "We understand we are also students, and we need to graduate," she said.

The application form will be available beginning Jan. 4 on the Web site for the student firefighting program. The deadline to apply is Feb. 5.