West Hartford Fire Academy teaches junior cadets the fundamentals of firefighting

NEWINGTON, Conn. (WTNH) — Responding to a fire to save a life when only seconds count. Firefighters face that challenge regularly.

But what kind of training is needed to put out a wall of flames?

At a teen fire academy in Newington, junior cadets are learning the fundamentals of fighting fires.

Getting the hose off the truck and into the house is just one of the many lessons learned.

“It takes a lot of tactical planning, some coordinated movements to get the hose line into the house to fight the fire and put it out before the fire gets out of control,” West Hartford Fire Department Community Support Officer Andrew Eccles said.

After a brief warm-up, cadets are outfitted in the necessary protective gear, then it’s off to their first challenge of getting through this locked door.

“The tools are surprisingly heavy and it requires a surprising amount of team work to make sure you don’t hit each others fingers and take them off and get the door open,” teen cadet Elizabeth Zhestkova said.

Once the cadets have safely entered the building, the next stop is the next second floor to put out a simulated fire.

“My job was the nozzle man. The experience is pretty tough, because you have to carry most of the line, even though you have help it still becomes very tough,” teen cadet Nikolos Alvares said.

Twenty cadets spanning the ages of 13 to 17 learn the proper way of rescuing a person from a burning building.

They learn that remaining low to the ground is key because it helps with visibility.

“My job is to find the victim. If they have to do this every day someone’s real life could be in their hands,” teen cadet Thomas Compton-Allbright said.

But learning how to safely enter a burning building or save a life is not the only lesson instructors are hoping cadets take away from this experience.

“Like team work, leadership, hard work, real determination, almost like grit … In life sometimes you have to push through that,” Eccles said.

It’s a lesson that can be utilized during any of life’s battles.

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