Several students at NH volunteer in the community  as Emergency Medical Technicians and firefighters. With different experiences, each has a story to share.

     Sophomore Ava Schmidt was introduced to volunteering through her family. She explains, “My dad is a volunteer firefighter and is a paid firefighter at Aberdeen Proving Ground, so he got me into it.” The student also includes that she dreamed of being a firefighter as a little girl.

    According to Schmidt, these volunteer firefighters learn about “different types of ladders, knots to tie, and different types of fires.” They are also brought into real situations with live fires.

    The sophomore included here experience when at a barn fire where she had to “spray the side of the house because it was melting.”

    Schmidt believes that to be a volunteer, you need to have a “lot of dedication,” and honor. She looks up to her father as a role model in the field.

    Another student volunteer would include senior Sierra Martin. The senior states that she had “always wanted to be an EMT,” so she and her friend joined the program to help others. She includes that the job is “a lot of hard work” and that there is a lot of “memory involved.”

    Martin would recommend to those thinking of becoming a volunteer that they should “study and practice everything” because “you never know when you need to use it.”

    Kaylin Bordenski, sophomore, is also a volunteer. She states that “it was definitely a lifelong passion of mine” to help people. Bordenski also became interested in the field through her family just as Schmidt did.

    The sophomore describes the job as stressful, but that “you learn a lot about yourself and how much situations can affect you mentally and physically.” She mentions the job can be “very rough,” but also a lot of fun.

    Bordenski adds that the people at the firehouse are all “very down to earth,” and “go with the flow.” She recommends “sticking with your gut” within stressful situations like those within the demands of being an EMT or firefighter.

    Senior Olivia Davis, a student volunteer, includes her story. Just like several others, she got into volunteering through her family. She says that she’s “been around the firehouse most of [her] life with [her] dad and [her] brother.”

    Davis believes the job to be incredibly “physically demanding,” and it is necessary to “be focused on your tasks because your safety depends on it.” It requires more knowledge than just putting out a fire with water. It can be a difficult field.  

    The senior also included a specific experience. Davis was “going on a call for a snowmobile on fire in the middle of a field.” She describes this as her most memorable moment.

    Davis also added that “we need more volunteers, and if you decide to join then you will have to put in the time and effort for training.”

    Senior Tallin Pusher is also a student volunteer. Pusher joined the program because she “saw how much the fire department did for [her] community.” She has learned new skills while being an EMT and a firefighter. Specifically she has learned how to “splint injuries, control major bleeding, and know when and how much medication to give.” She has also learned how to use all the tools necessary to control and put out a fire.

    The volunteer describes going into a burning building when she states that “it’s usually pitch black from the smoke, and there’s just people yelling about what needs to be done, but it’s a total adrenaline rush.” She also adds that she feels that those working with her are like family, and she “trusts them with [her] life, and they trust [her] with theirs.”