Fire departments soon will have an opportunity to apply for the 2010 SAFER grants. For combination departments, these dollars can be used to fund innovative methods to recruit and retain volunteer, part-time or career firefighters. But not every department will receive a SAFER grant. So one staffing option that departments shouldn't ignored is an organized youth program.

In November, the IAFC's Volunteer and Combination Officers Section published “Opening New Doors, The Silver Ribbon Report: Guidelines and Best Practices for a Successful Fire Service Program.” This 50-page report outlines several critical areas that a department should consider before initiating a youth program: administration; legal issues; recruitment, retention and marketing; safety; and education and training. As with anything worthwhile, a fire-service youth program requires an investment in time, resources and personnel, but can pay dividends for years to come in the recruitment and retention of future firefighters.

I've experienced youth fire-service programs in a variety of ways throughout my career. In addition to coming from a fire-service family, I am a product of such a program. When I was in high school, I was a part of the District Seven Volunteer Fire Association, a group of 15-to-18-year-olds sponsored by the Cincinnati Fire Department. Dr. William Kramer was another alumnae from that program, and he rose to assistant chief in Cincinnati before becoming chief of the Indianapolis Airport and Deerfield Township departments. Kramer also was well-known for serving as chair of the University of Cincinnati's Fire Science Program.

Later in my career, Colerain Township's youth program was part of the Scout Explorers. The program had some success but never met its full potential, partly because it couldn't find firefighters with the interest and time to administer the program, and partly because the department underwent a rather rapid transition from career/volunteer to career/paid part-time personnel.

The fire cadet program at Wyoming Fire-EMS was well-established when I became the chief. The program began in 1966 and has remained a partnership among four entities: the fire department, the school district, the parents of the cadets, and the cadets themselves.

Every summer, young men and women ages 14 to 17 can apply for any vacancies left after graduations. The program holds a maximum of eight cadets at any one time. The school district must approve the applicants, who must maintain high academic standards while cadets.

The applicants then undergo a full background check by the city's human-resources and police departments, interview with the department's HR officer and a senior staff officer, and complete an orientation that outlines traditions and expectations on both sides. Applicants go through a similar process for firefighter/EMT positions.

Once accepted to the program, the cadet takes a physical similar to that required for high-school athletic participation and obtains a state work permit, as cadets are paid a stipend for their participation in some of their training and activities.

The structure of the program follows a chain of command similar to the fire department's. A fire lieutenant works with the program advisor to handle direct supervision, coordination and any issues that may arise during the year. The school district and the lieutenant also monitor academics to ensure that cadets' grades are not falling. At any time, the school, the parents, the cadet or the department can request that a cadet take a leave of absence. The space is held until it is determined that the cadet can return to full activities or needs to resign from the program.

A senior cadet is chosen to be the cadet captain, who handles the organization of the cadets and keeps them informed.

The cadets assist at numerous community events and especially with public-education programs. The department talks about the important role cadets play whenever elementary- or middle-school groups tour a station. It is not unusual to then hear one of the visiting teachers tell their students about one or more of their previous students who are now in the cadet program. The teachers mainly emphasize the academic standards students need to achieve to participate in the program, but they also indicate how important volunteers are to the community.

Cadets are issued a Class C work uniform similar to what worn by a firefighter, and the cadet captain wears two silver bugles, which are distinctive from the gold hardware that fire and EMS officers wear. Cadets also are issued turnout gear, but their helmets are orange and have a front shield that clearly indicates they are cadets. They have tone-activated pagers and — through an agreement with the school district — can leave school to report to the station for fire calls. The cadets assemble at two designated parking places at the high school and drive the five blocks from the school to the station with the flow of traffic. Once there, they do not take the place of a responding firefighter, but will respond with the advisor once the other equipment is en route.

Under the direction of the advisor or officer, the cadets are allowed to set up exterior lights and assemble a pre-arranged set of additional tools and PPV fans on a tarp located at the A side of the building. If first water from the hydrant to the supply line has not been turned on, a cadet with a radio may be dropped off at the hydrant to relieve that firefighter. The cadets also assist the accountability officer by obtaining the passports from the cabs of the units arriving on a first alarm and bringing them to that officer's accountability board. At any major incident, the rescue unit is equipped with a cascade air system that can refill 150 to 200 SCBA bottles. When directed by command, cadets stationed at the rehab sector or working at the rescue truck gather the empty bottles and return full bottles to the crews.

After graduation, cadets are encouraged to start training toward Firefighter I and EMT certification. The Wyoming Firefighter's Association also awards a $2,000 scholarship to each graduating cadet to use toward college tuition or additional fire or EMS certifications. Many former cadets start college as certified firefighters and are able to serve in their college communities during the school year and at home during breaks.

Each winter, the city of Wyoming nominates several residents for Citizens of the Year honors. In 2009, 18-year-old Cadet Captain Taylor Wood became the youngest-ever Wyoming resident to be so honored. Wood continues with the department when he is home from college.

Hundreds of residents have passed through the Wyoming Fire Cadet Program in its 44-year history. More than half of my department's 45 firefighters and 24 medics came through some sort of youth firefighting program. Other former cadets now are citizen advocates who are familiar with the program and help foster the needs of the department.

Departments that start a youth fire-service program may not see dividends right away, but a successful program can be essential to the department's long-term success. The National Volunteer Fire Council recently indicated that the average age of volunteer firefighters is increasing and called on the fire service to recruit younger firefighters to fill the eventual void aging firefighters will create.

There's no better way to ensure that future staffing needs will be met than to start a youth program in your department. While your department might not be able to duplicate the success of Wyoming's program — which is strongly rooted in history — the NVFC's National Junior Firefighter program, for example, certainly can be duplicated. It is well worth the effort to obtain the VCOS Silver Ribbon Report, determine your costs and needs, and begin to plan a program that fits the present and future needs of your department.

And if you are applying for a SAFER grant, here's a way to use those funds.

Chief Robert R. Rielage, CFO, EFO, MIFireE, is the chief of Wyoming (Ohio) Fire-EMS, a 78-member combination fire department bordering Cincinnati. He previously served as the fire marshal of the state of Ohio. A graduate of the Kennedy School's Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government at Harvard University, Rielage holds a master's degree in public administration from Norwich University and is the immediate past-president of the Institution of Fire Engineers-USA Branch. He is a member of the FIRE CHIEF Editorial Advisory Board.