BY ELLE CAVANAUGH

One of, if not the best things about the Independence School District, are the capstones. The ISD has internal and external capstones. Internal capstones happen in Independence at some of our own high schools or specialized buildings like IA&T. External capstones are programs in other districts such as Blue Springs or Raytown. These capstones are constantly advancing in order to prepare dedicated students for real careers. There have also been new additions to better accommodate the hundreds of careers students wish to join.

My capstone is the newest addition to opportunities for students in districts partnered with Summit Technology Academy. The Firefighter Academy: A program that certifies Seniors in almost everything they need to serve as a firefighter such as OSHA 10, basic life-saving CPR, HAZMAT awareness and operations, as well as Firefighting I and II. The teacher is a retired KCFD Captain with 25 years of experience, and what seems like an endless number of tales from his service will teach you all about the fire industry. While he is the only teacher, off-site days will take you to LSFD Station 7 to meet with firefighters of all ranks, experiences, and ages. Some of these people work closely with the hiring process which gives students a great chance to make a good impression on future employers!

Since we are the first class to go through this course, there are definitely privileges that come with that. Currently, the class has a whopping six students. Not only does this make for a close group of people, but it also benefits our learning experience. In larger fire academies, students may only have a few minutes for hands-on experiences due to time constraints. For us, the two hours we have at Station 7 allow us to experience every part of an operation and typically extra time to explore the station. In the classroom, discussions are lively and fruitful. We are all able to get and stay on the same page due to the round-table style of the classroom.  Another pro is the gear. All of us have received tailored fire gear that the classes following are likely going to wear despite how it fits.  The piece of gear we were most excited about was the shield on our helmets! The Captain custom-made the shields with our last name and graduation year during his own time. 

Right now we are holed up in a trailer just outside of the main STA building. The A side is where all our class discussions and bookwork take place, while the B side is where all the fun happens. That is where all our gear, both bunker gear and tools for operations, is stored. We also practice putting on all our gear in under two minutes and learn to care for our self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). 

As I mentioned earlier, we don’t always stay cooped up in our nice little trailer. Sometimes we journey to Lee Summit Fire Department Station 7.  We get the chance to practice skills that we can’t in the classroom like breaching doors, navigating a firetruck, and even carrying a victim down a ladder. My favorite thing we’ve done so far is the confidence course where we crawled through really tight spaces in full gear and darkness. It taught us to remain calm in the unknown and trust ourselves to escape. There is plenty more to look forward to as we’ll eventually perform roof operations and even go into a live fire!

Despite how much fun this has been, I don’t believe I will pursue Firefighting after I complete this class. The main reason is the long-term effects of joining this career. Firefighters are exposed to cancer-causing materials at nearly all times during their job which increases the chance that they get cancer by 9%. The average person has a 45% of getting cancer at some point in their life which gives Firefighters about a 54% chance of getting cancer of varying types. Not to mention Firefighters develop some poor habits due to the lengthy work hours and high stress of the job. 

With that said, I have no regrets. I’ve had amazing fun times in this class. When else in my life would I have been able to do this? My knowledge from this class encompasses so many things including general safety so it is in no way a waste. The respect I have for Firefighters is heightened tenfold. Everyone knows Firefighting is dangerous, but I don’t think the general public realizes just how intense the job can be. It takes a very special kind of person to keep doing this job despite all the risks and dangers for the care of people they don’t even know. 

If you have even the slightest interest in Firefighting, I highly recommend this capstone. Talk to your counselor so they can help you with the process of applying to STA.