NSFD Explorer Post 243

The North Syracuse Fire Department is proud to support a program to help expose young adults to the many opportunities offered in the fire service by establishing, supporting, and continuously developing a Fire Explorer Post and Program. This program replaced a Junior Firefighter program that was first created over 15 years ago.  The Post is a branch of the Hiawatha Seaway Council (Boy Scotts of America).  The Post Advisors are required to register with the council annually.  The advisors are senior firefighters whom are approved by the Chief's office.  They volunteer additional time outside of their normal firefighting duties.  The Hiawatha Seaway Council has an established set of safety guidelines for Explorer Posts that the NSFD strictly adheres to.  Safety is our #1 priority with all Post activities. 

Our #2 priority is ensuring Post activities do not interfere with academic success.  Members are required to meet certain academic standards and grades are reviewed by the Officer Advisor on a regular basis.  The program has a zero tolerance policy for acts of dishonesty.  Members are expected to represent the Post at all times and be good citizens of the community in the same way our firefighters are.

 The program is free to join and is open to students (ages 14-18) who live in the CNS school district.  The program teaches participants (Explorers) about the duties of a firefighter and about fire house life.  The program is designed to build character, a sense of responsibility and leadership skills through both lecture and hands practice in modern firefighting techniques.  The leadership of the post is primarily given to its members, not the advisors.  The advisors act as mentors, teachers, and facilitators however, the Post has its own chain of command that includes officers who are elected annually.   Each position is designed to carry additional responsibilities.  It is through this chain of command that leadership skills are developed as members move through the ranks. 

It is the hope of the North Syracuse Fire Department that our Explorers will carry these skills with them well into their futures and that one day they might consider joining the ranks of the fire department after their 18th birthday and graduation of high school.  There are several firefighters currently serving the NSFD that are graduates of the Explorer Post.

The program holds its business meeting on the first Thursday of every month at North Syracuse Fire Station 1 at 7:00 pm. Drills are held on the three remaining Thursdays in the month and the schedule of topics are posted in advance.  On occasion, the Explorer Post is invited to regular Fire Department Drill sessions which are held Tuesday evenings in lieu of Thursday.  Some Drills require more time than the allotted 3 hours on Thursday evenings and will be held during the day on Saturday with advanced notice.  Drills and Meetings are facilitated by the Advisors as well as guest instructors on occasion.  Explorers are issued the same turnout gear as firefighters to use during training and are expected to properly maintain it.  During drills Explorers use the NSFD’s equipment, vehicles, and facilities to learn modern firefighting techniques in controlled and supervised exercises.

Explorers are also encouraged to come to the fire station during alarms where, under very strict supervision and permission by incident command, they will be escorted to the scene by an advisor or fire department officer to help firefighters with non-critical roles such as clean-up, equipment maintenance etc. These incidents are used as real life experience and educational opportunities.  Safety is again our #1 priority and Explorers are never allowed to perform any function that could put them in harms way nor are they ever left unsupervised.

In addition to regularly scheduled drills Explorers are encouraged to participate in Parades, Special Events and other Fire Department Functions.  Our explorers participate in firematic competitions with other local posts and junior firefighter programs at the New York Air National Guard base in East Syracuse. They plan events for fund raising, put on demonstrations at the NSFD annual fire safety day and help firefighters with day to day responsibilities around the station. As you can tell Post 243 is very active.

Anyone wanting information about the program should contact the program's Advisor's at (315) 458-1920.

Advisors

A/C Chris Strong

 LT Gary Wilmer

F/F Al Brynien

F/F Mike Redhead

F/F Dan Kasouf

Explorer Post 243 Photo Gallery