Edmonton fire cadet program through school offers teens valuable life lessons
Teens in the Edmonton area are getting a first-hand look at what it takes to be a firefighter.
The Edmonton Fire Cadets program is held weekly and takes students aged 14 to 18 through the steps to learn how to do the job.
The work experience program uses both classroom and hands-on learning and is offered through area school boards.
"I've learned the real demands of being a firefighter, how hard and fun and exciting it is," fire cadet Haylee Ward, a student at Edmonton's St. Joseph Catholic High School, told CTV News Edmonton.
Students can earn up to six credits over the course of the school year.
The application deadline to apply for next year's cadet program is the end of April and can be competitive.
"It is pretty physically tough, but if you have the determination and the will to do it, you can do it," the 17-year-old Ward said.
Chris Turner, the Edmonton Fire Rescue Services cadet coordinator, told CTV News Edmonton his top suggestion for anyone applying for the program is to provide "a good story of who you are."
"You only have one chance to make a good first impression and that application’s going to your first impression," he said.
For 17-year-old fire cadet Cole Gist, who attends Sherwood Park's Salisbury Composite High, helping people is what makes firefighting appealing, even taking priority over an opportunity to play football in the United States.
"Firefighting is something I’ve always wanted to do, and I know that if I aspire to do that and get my courses ... that’s my goal," he said.
Not every cadet will go on to become a career firefighter, but they will leave it with skills that last a lifetime.
"(I've learned) not only about firefighting and safety but about myself through doing things that will be very useful in life," Ward said, something Gist echoed as well.
"It’s definitely a life changing experience for me," Gist said. "It’s taught me a lot of valuable life lessons. It’s taught me how to be mature."
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Sean Amato
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
India's foreign minister reacts to murder charges, claims Canada welcomes criminals
India's Foreign Affairs Minister accused Canada of welcoming criminals from his country in response to the RCMP's recent arrests in a homicide that has roiled tensions between the two countries.
15-year-old boy stabbed in Ottawa on Thursday dies
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
'A tiny city:' Pro-Palestinian campus protesters organize for another week
Pro-Palestinian activists have set up tents at universities in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal, following a wave of similar protests at campuses in the United States linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
Lawsuit against Meta asks if Facebook users have right to control their feeds using external tools
Do social media users have the right to control what they see — or don't see — on their feeds?
A Holocaust survivor will mark that history differently after the horrors of Oct. 7
This year's Holocaust Remembrance Day, which begins on Sunday evening in Israel, carries a heavier weight than usual for many Jews around the world.
Princess Anne lays wreath at Battle of Atlantic ceremony; honours late Queen
Princess Anne saluted Canadian veterans and current forces members and honoured her late mother during separate ceremonies Sunday in Victoria as she wrapped up a three-day British Columbia West Coast royal visit.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
As storms moves across Texas, 1 child dies after being swept away in floodwaters
A child in Texas died Sunday after being swept away in floodwaters as storms swept across the state.