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Date: 4/12/2022
EASTHAMPTON – In a unique opportunity, the Easthampton Fire Department has chosen a Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School student to co-op and get firsthand experience with its first responders.
Jessica Mason has been selected to be the first-ever intern for the Easthampton Fire Department through their new co-op program.
Fire Chief Chris Norris said he and the Fire Department engaged in conversations with Smith Vocational back in the fall and the conversations revolved around working together to develop a co-op and internship program. Norris said they were able to offer the program under the criminal justice program at the school – an umbrella title for more comprehensive activities for students interested in dispatch, EMS, fire services and police.
“After speaking with Smith Vocational School and our willingness to work with them, Jessica Mason reached out to me and wondered if she could do that internship program through the co-op with the school,” Norris said.
Norris said Mason started the last week of March and will be working alongside the Fire Department personnel Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. every other week until the end of the school year. Mason will be getting about 30 hours a week when in the fire house working alongside and shadowing professional firefighters for her co-op, a unique opportunity for the student.
Norris added that Mason’s ultimate goal is to pursue the field of fire and EMS.
“Our goal, as part of this internship, is to provide her with that overall broad perspective as to what she can expect when she goes into this profession,” Norris said.
Norris continued breaking down Mason’s first week in the fire station and said she was introduced to all personnel and had already been fitted in some of the department’s spare protective gear. Norris added that Mason has already began training how to properly dawn the personal protective equipment as well as the self-contained breathing apparatus.
Mason was also able to go down to the Springfield Fire Academy with some members of the department. The Springfield Fire Academy is where all recruit training for career and volunteer firefighters takes place in Western Massachusetts. Mason was provided a tour and got to see the offers and some of the capabilities that the training facility has.
“We also started to slowly integrate her into some of our actual calls pertaining to fire. For example, she went on a couple fire alarm activations at some local businesses throughout the city,” Norris added.
Norris noted that going forward they will be looking to continue general firefighter training including working with ground ladders, being proficient in ropes and knots and fire extinguisher training. For EMS training, Mason will be taking her first responder training through Smith Vocational, but the goal of Chief Norris and the co-op program is to help augment the training Mason receives at school to help improve her competencies and proficiencies in those areas of study.
This is the first officially established co-op partnership in the history of the Easthampton Fire Department. Norris has been told that prior to his tenure in Easthampton, students would go on ride-a-longs in the firetruck but there was no structure or outcomes attached to that opportunity. Norris equated that to shadowing compared to what the new co-op program provides.
Norris said this program was a great partnership for both parties as it gives students a unique interning experience while also being a resource to the trade school.
“We are a huge proponent of the trade schools and certainly fire service is a profession that involves the trades. When you look at some of the things that we do, a lot of it revolves around building construction, understanding electrical, understanding plumbing, some of those unique trades that are still important to our overall profession,” Norris said. “We want to get these students the opportunities to better understand what fire and EMS are all about. We’re extremely excited to continue to partner with the school on these initiatives.”
No current firefighters on staff in Easthampton have gone through a co-op program like this before choosing the profession. Based on history in Easthampton, this is a new unique opportunity for students interested in this area of public safety that the town hopes to keep.
“At least in this area for the fire service, in terms of this structured program, I think this is a unique opportunity that is starting to develop more and more and start to formulize into a more recognized program,” Norris said.