Junior Firefighter Program | Ghent Volunteer Fire Company No. 1

Graduation Service Hours Verified community service hours for high school

College & Job References Recommendations from company officers & chiefs

$0 Cost Gear & Training Turnout gear & hands-on mentorship provided free

NYS Fire 1 Head Start Step into full active membership & FASNY HELP at 18

Apply as a Junior →

Hands-On Training

What Juniors do

Ride the apparatus and respond to fire calls
Take part in every department drill and training class
Help carry out the monthly truck and equipment inspection
Train on electric, hydraulic, and gas-powered fire equipment

Strict Safety Limits

What Juniors do not do

No interior firefighting
No operating any apparatus
No operating power equipment at an emergency scene until age 18

Academics First

School comes first

Written consent from a parent or guardian is required
Responding may never interfere with school attendance or required school activities
Participation ends at 9:00 p.m. on nights before a school day

Ghent firefighters training with Res-Q-Jack vehicle stabilization struts during an evening drill — **Rescue Tool Drills** — Learning vehicle stabilization and hydraulic rescue tools under officer supervision during Monday drills.

Firefighters practicing forcible entry techniques on a steel training door prop at Station 1 — **Hand Tools & Props** — Building practical mechanical skills on Station 1's forcible-entry training prop.

Ghent volunteers setting up a folding portable drop tank with Tanker 22-35 outside Station 1 — **Exterior Water Supply** — Working alongside senior members to deploy portable ponds, supply hoselines, and hydrants.

For parents

What your teenager gets out of it

Junior Members learn a trade's worth of practical skill — tools, equipment, teamwork under pressure — alongside experienced members. Training and equipment cost your family nothing.

The restrictions above are not negotiable, and we hold to them. Juniors do not go inside a burning building, do not drive or operate apparatus, and do not run power equipment at a scene until they turn 18.

100% Volunteer · People Always Needed

Answer the Call — Join Ghent VFC No. 1

Whether you want to fight fires, drive apparatus, direct traffic as Fire Police, or support rehab and events, we provide all gear and NYS training at $0 cost to you.

$0 Cost Free Gear & Training

No Shifts Respond When Available

All Roles Fire, Driver & Support

Explore Roles & Join → Junior Program (16–17)

Tax-Deductible Community Support