NORTHAMPTON — Two students from Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School are getting their hands dirty as they develop real-world skills working at the Northampton Fire Department. And at the same time, the fire department is grooming the next generation of firefighters to potentially join their staff one day.
At Smith Vocational, students spend alternating weeks in academic classes and “shop programs” on their way to a high school diploma and a certificate of occupational proficiency. Seniors Gregory Bidus and Morgan Whidden spend their biweekly “shop week” interning for 30 hours at the Northampton Fire Department, where they learn hands-on what it’s like to work at a fire station.
“The students from Smith Vocational are amazing,” Fire Chief Jon Davine said. “They show up, they’re here on time, they’re clean and ready to go to work.”
Bidus is most concerned with the mechanical side of fire department work. His typical day involves repairing various equipment like chainsaws, generators, flashlights and ambulances. Before coming to the fire department in October, Bidus was enrolled in the automotive program at Smith Vocational, where he learned mechanical skills he continues to apply at his internship.
“I just like getting dirty,” said Bidus, extending his palms to reveal dirt and grease coating his fingers. “I’m learning more in one week than I did in like three weeks at school.”
Right now, there is high demand for good fire service mechanics because of the specialized certifications required to work on large trucks, according to Davine.
“I think a kid like Greg [Bidus], if he wants to stay with it, can progress and get those certifications to work on emergency vehicles,” Davine said. “And then he could walk into any city and probably make 80 grand walking in the door.”
While Bidus works mostly on mechanics, Whidden spends his time on the fire service side of the fire department.
Sometimes he works in fire prevention, which involves joining in on inspections at businesses making sure everything is up to code. Other times he’s training; one day, this took the form of an ice water rescue at the Oxbow in Northampton, where trainees had to pull a dummy out of ice-cold water as part of a simulation.
Before starting his internship about a month ago, Whidden’s “shop week” took place at Smith Vocational’s criminal justice program, where he learned about topics like arson investigation, motor vehicles, and criminal justice laws. Whidden also received his CPR certification through the criminal justice program.
“I’ve just always liked helping people, and the fire department involves a lot of helping people, so that’s what drew me towards it,” said Whidden.
Davine said that the fire department is ultimately looking for more workers. The internship program is a way to generate interest and potentially prepare the next generation of paramedics at the fire station.
“It’s a long-term investment,” Davine said.
The Fire Department has taken two other interns from Smith Vocational under its wing in recent years. Whidden is the fire department’s third fire service intern, and Bidus is the first to work on the mechanic side.
Following graduation from high school, Whidden said he will most likely go into the fire service, and Bidus said he’s thought about becoming a mechanic on heavy-duty diesel vehicles.
“Our goal is to get them interested, get out of high school, get them into the EMT class, and then we’ll get [them] into the paramedic class,” Davine said. Ideally, interns will end up working at the fire department for years to come, he added.