City Council honors graduates of Junior Firefighters Program

WM Fire Chief says many may be invited back to become real firefighters in the future

By DONALD WILBURN

donaldfwilburn@gmail.com

During Thursday’s city council meeting, several young men were recognized for completing the second year of the Junior Fire_ghters program. Led by Inspector Malik Walker, the program included training exercises such as testing physical abilities, hands-on training with _re extinguishers, agility tests, equipment tryouts, and medical and life-saving techniques like CPR.

Upon successful completion of the program, all participants received CPR and Stop the Bleed First Aid Certi_cation. They also had the chance to climb the extended _re truck ladder, work with extrication equipment, spray water from hoses, and participate in activities like the challenging dummy drag.

“Although the training was intense,” said Fire Chief Barry Ealy during the awards presentation, “We never allowed these young men to be put in danger. We would never allow that. But they came as close as possible with their hands on training without actually being put at risk.”

Inspector Walker highlighted the importance of programs like this in recruiting the next generation of _re_ghters in West Memphis. He emphasized that with the right training and support, these young men can overcome any obstacles and fears they may have.

The Junior Firefighters of 2024 (in grey) were honored with certificates of completion at Thursday’s city council meeting.

Photo by Don Wilburn