WC Wisconsin News

With the number of local firefighters steadily declining, the Onalaska Fire Department has joined forces with Western Technical College to create La Crosse County’s first high school fire academy.

“The vision and goal of this program is to get high school students interested at a young age to enter into an exciting career as a professional firefighter,” officials told WiProud.com.

When Chief Troy Gudie joined the department more than three decades ago, the staff consisted of 36 paid on-call firefighters, according to the report. That number has dwindled, leading Gudie to come up with new ways to recruit fresh faces.

Western President Roger Stanford insists the college is committed to building training courses that encourage students to become firefighters.

“A tour is one thing, but really a strong immersion into the curriculum where you come out with a couple of certifications, that’s what Western does,” he said.

Nine high school students were part of the academy’s inaugural class this past school year, with seven graduating, Stanford said.

“We already had two students that are serving on fire departments right now, and we had four others that are accepted into the fire science degree program at western technical college,” he said.

Stanford believes the program is a success and would like to see it expand across Wisconsin.

“I hope it sets the stage for other programs in the state,” he said. “I hope it sets the stage for other fire districts in our area for us to come together, and to figure out with our K-12s how to get more people in public safety.”

Fourteen students are slated to participate in firefighter training courses at Western this fall, with school officials planning to use grant money to purchase firefighting equipment that will be used in the courses, according to WIproud.com.