Fire chief proposes lowering age limit for youth program

The Linn County Fire Chief proposes lowering the minimum age for the county's junior firefighter program to 14. (Journal file photo)

By Charlene Sims, Journal staff

LCJeditor@icloud.com

MOUND CITY – The idea of lowering the age limit so students as young as 14 could participate in the county’s junior firefighter program was introduced to the Linn County Commission on Monday, March 16, by County Fire Chief Randy Hegwald.

He told the commissioners that over the last couple of weeks, the fire department had been doing  some speaking engagements on fire safety. That included presentations at Jayhawk-Linn Junior-Senior High School.

"At Career Day I was asked by community members to look into our junior firefighters program," Hegwald said. "I wanted put this out to you guys to think about it and see what you thought. I’d like permission to talk to the insurance company about lowering our junior firefighting age to 14 and see if we can build that program.

“We have a lot of kids at 14 and 15 that would really start that program that would give us four years with them and then possibly let them move into a firefighting career later on after school. But I just wanted to get your thoughts on moving forward on that or against it.”

Hamilton asked what program on which he was basing the idea..

Hegwald said, “It’s a program in Linn County. We’re not basing it off any other program.”

Hamilton said she would like to to see it follow some sort of state or national guidelines.

Hegwald said if the insurance says they can’t run fire calls, they can come to station meetings and clean trucks and stuff like that.

County Counselor Jacklyn Paletta said she would be fine with an inquiry as long as the program is run it by the insurance company.                                                                                                                         

“That’s what I was looking at,” Hegwald said. “Even if the insurance says they can’t run fire calls, they can come to station meetings, they can help cleaning trucks and stuff like that just to expand our program to get those kids in that program and retain them a little bit longer.”

Commissioner Jim Johnson said, “ I don’t have an issue with it as long as you check with the insurance.”

Hegwald said that he was attending southeast Kansas meeting for fire chiefs and he will reach out to them for more information about the program.

“I am fine with it,” Hamilton said. “Again like I said, I would like to be more affiliated with a program that we’re following, curriculum based. What are we teaching the kids? I would be more in favor of that.

“So they’re not just coming in and cleaning a truck. There’s actual education, the they’re learning that we’re going by. That’s just my opinion on it. I would like them to actually maybe have something they go through and then get a certificate when they’re done.”

“I’ll get a proposal put together and bring it back after I get more information,” said Hegwald.