The Clearwater Fire Dept. typically has about 30 members, and every one of them have proved they belong there.

 

Not only is there ongoing training to remain certified, but new recruits have to prove they’re worthy to wear the uniform. Being a firefighter is a lot more than just having the ability to climb a ladder and point a hose.

 

For new recruits with the Clearwater Fire Dept it starts with the application process.

 

“We accept applications about mid-year and it takes us a couple of months to go through applications and arrange interviews,” says Clearwater Fire Chief  Ryan Pridgeon. 

 

During the early stages, Pridgeon says he talks about how demanding the job can be on the applicant and their family.

 

“The first year is very stressful - spouses getting used to their husband or wife jumping up and leaving at dinner or a birthday party, or as they’re opening up Christmas presents and we get a call. That’s the nature of what we do,” he says. “I try to scare them off. I’d rather have them back out then than after the training.”

 

After two rounds of interviews, new recruits are given a physical agility test.

 

“It’s not only to see if they can physically do the job. It’s actually to see if they have claustrophobia,” says Pridgeon. “I’ve seen firefighters who have claustrophobia. They can’t go into a burning building or get into a car with a trapped victim.”

 

After a third interview, the recruits are hired and training begins.

 

The current new recruits are going through Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) training, which covers everything from basic patient care, taking vitals - blood pressure and pulse oximetry, to how to analyze a patient’s situation.

 

“We’re the first responder. We don’t transport patients,” says Pridgeon. “We try to make a patient comfortable and keep them alive until the ambulance gets here.”

 

That’s especially important in the Clearwater area, which is at the far reaches of three different ambulance companies.

 

“It can take five minutes on really good day, to 45 minutes or longer on a really bad day,” says Pridgeon.

 

Firefighters learn CPR, how to use an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) and can put in an airway for unconscious patients who are having difficulty breathing.

 

Wright County Chiefs run a fire academy for all new recruits that begins in January each year.

 

“They meet at a fire hall. It takes about 160 hours of class time and hands-on training,” says Pridgeon. “They learn everything from how to put their gear on, how to wear a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), how to climb a ladder, pull hose off a truck and reload hose on a truck - all the basic jobs.”

 

That’s Firefighter One training. Then comes a more advanced training with more hands-on experience, including going into a burning building to get the feel of the heat.

 

Recruits then go through hazardous material (HazMat) training before finally getting certified.

 

“By the time they’re done, they’ve graduated  from the academy with their Firefighter One and Two certificate and their HazMat operational certificate,” says Pridgeon. “This allows them to become an operational firefighter for us according to the state.”

 

But that doesn’t mean they’re finished learning.

 

“Just because they have the certificate in firefighting or EMR, that doesn’t mean we throw them into the deep end of the pool,” says Pridgeon. “We restrict what they do. They work with a seasoned veteran until they get some experience. We don’t allow them to go into a situation where they can harm themselves or a patient.”

 

Once they’ve gotten their “feet wet,” they continue to learn. The department has two continuing-training days a month where they learn about new technology and new regulations.

 

Last month they had a driver’s obstacle course event in the old Coborn’s parking lot. They must also have 24 hours of  EMR refresher training every two years and relearn CPR every year.

 

It’s a demanding job, but there is no shortage of applicants ready to sign on.

 

“After we hired the last group of recruits, we got four more new good applicants,” says Pridgeon.  “So now we have a waiting list for when we get an opening.”