Whitehall Fire Department adds junior program to enlist young members
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Caelan Austin of Whitehall hopes to follow in his grandfather’s firefighter footsteps.
The 16-year-old has a solid head start as the borough’s first junior firefighter.
“I’ve always had an interest in it, and always wanted to help out the community and serve the community,” Caelan said. “I’m excited, happy, a little nervous. I think it would be a good idea to learn some life skills with it, get involved in your community and get to know more people and other teams out there.”
Caelan is expected to be sworn in as a member of the Whitehall Volunteer Fire Co. on April 19.
He already participated in some training through the department and the Allegheny County Fire Academy.
His grandfather, Joseph Matta, was a McKeesport firefighter for nearly 40 years.
“He was very excited for me, someone taking his path,” Caelan said. “He gave me a couple good (tips). Be safe and wary about your surroundings and others.”
Whitehall launched its junior firefighter program this year in an attempt to attract new recruits.
“It’s getting harder and harder for us to get volunteers,” Assistant Fire Chief Nicholas Price said. “Right now, with (Caelan) being the first, he’s the most important because he’s going to help us lay down the foundation to get the program off to a good start. It’s very important to start getting people in here younger so that we can attract them and get them to stay and build their life around the borough and the fire company.”
Whitehall has about 29 active firefighters. The company turns 75 in October.
“People aren’t joining the fire service like they used to,” Price said. “The dwindling number of volunteers is getting worse and worse. As they get older or retire or move on with life, it’s getting harder and harder to replace them.”
The number of volunteer firefighters in Pennsylvania has been declining for years for several reasons, including greater time demands, an aging population and societal shifts.
There were about 300,000 volunteer firefighters statewide in the 1970s. Today, there are about 38,000, according to a report released in November 2018 by the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
Whitehall’s new recruits can start out as young as 16 and do not have to be from the borough to join.
Price said junior firefighters can be used for exterior support such as placing ground ladders, using outside hose streams, changing air cylinders for those who went inside and assisting pump operators.
“That all goes into helping the firemen inside,” Price said. “That fire ground support is very important for the overall operation.”
Firefighters cannot enter a burning structure unless they are at least 18 and receive proper training.
Price said juniors can learn three out of five essential steps, and then the other two when they become adults.
Junior firefighters also must maintain at least a C average in school to participate.
Price said the department checks grades quarterly and at the time of joining.
“If we see that their grades are slipping, the chief or head of the junior program can suspend them until their grades improve,” Price said.
More information about the program is available online at whitehallfire301.com.
Families can also visit the stations, 4400 Clairton Blvd. and 601 Weyman Road, on Thursdays after 7 p.m. There is no deadline to sign up.