Bath Township Fire Department offering hands-on training program to introduce young people to the field

BATH TOWNSHIP, OH (WLIO) - Many career fields are struggling for new hires, so the Bath Township Fire Department is starting a new hands-on approach to the problem. 

Bath Township residents or students enrolled in Bath Local Schools ages 14 to 20 are invited to apply to the department's Exploring program, where they will meet once a month through the school year to tour the facilities, work alongside professionals, and get practical experience with the tools of firefighting and EMS related fields. 

The idea came from Bath Township firefighter/paramedic Bryan Cox, who chose to become a first responder after completing the program himself. 

"The reason why I got into it was the gratification of helping people. That's what we want to put back out there. It's a great career to get into, just kind of show them like they did in the past. They'll be learning basic firefighting tactics and EMS tactics like basic set of vitals for EMS and say, forcible entry and stretching out hose line for the fire side," Cox said.

To learn more about the Exploring program, contact Alexandra Patterson at (567)-208-5392 or alex.patterson@scouting.org. 

You can also visit the Bath Township Fire Department's table at National Night Out at the Allen County Fairgrounds on Tuesday, August 1.