A junior firefighter assists firefighters with limited tasks at emergency scenes as a support role. He or she may assist with traffic control, carry needed supplies to firefighters working on the outside of a fire scene, and help with outside fire hoses. Junior firefighters are usually not involved in any dangerous activities, but they do attend training sessions to learn more about the job.
In many areas, a junior firefighter is an older adolescent interested in pursuing a career in emergency services. These programs are used by fire departments to recruit young people for firefighting courses after they graduate from high school. They also encourage community volunteerism and raise community awareness of emergency service activities.
Under the supervision of a senior firefighter, a junior firefighter learns about hazards at fire scenes. After a fire has been extinguished and there is no danger of the structure collapsing, he or she may be allowed inside. A junior firefighter in this position might help with clean-up and observe how fire investigators work. Before leaving the fire scene, he or she usually assists in gathering equipment and loading it onto the truck.
These cadets are trained alongside regular firefighters on a regular basis, usually once a month. A junior firefight responds to the fire station and accompanies firefighters to the scene when an emergency call is received via pager or radio. Participation is usually restricted to after-school hours and until a certain time at night. When there are downed power lines or gas leaks, the teen is usually required to stay on the fire truck until the area is deemed safe.
A junior firefighter may not respond to hazardous material spills involving nuclear or biological substances in some fire departments. Any calls involving explosives or terrorist threats may also be prohibited for the teen volunteer. A junior firefighter may not be allowed to respond to a mass casualty scene, such as a plane, train, or bus crash with multiple injuries or deaths, in some areas.
The majority of junior firefighter programs require students to maintain good grades, pass a police background check, and obtain parental consent. He or she may also require a complete physical examination to demonstrate fitness to volunteer. Junior firefighters are frequently subjected to stringent regulations, which include prohibitions on offensive clothing and language. As representatives of the fire department, they are expected to treat their peers and the general public with courtesy and respect. If a junior firefighter breaks the rules, he or she may be disciplined or removed from the program.