By Jamaal Abdul-Alim
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Copyright 2007 Journal Sentinel Inc.
MILWAUKEE — South Milwaukee High School senior David Peterson has wanted to become a firefighter since seventh grade, when he saw the heroic efforts of the firefighters who responded to the twin towers on Sept. 11, 2001.
Today, the 18-year-old is a step closer to his dream, thanks to a new fire sciences internship offered through his school.
For two hours a day four afternoons a week for the school year, Peterson heads to the city’s firehouse at 929 Marshall Court and puts on 60 pounds-plus of gear: a helmet, boots and an SCBA, a self-contained breathing apparatus.
His time at the firehouse entails more than hanging around fire rigs; he is learning basic firefighting skills, from putting up ladders to tying knots.
The other day, he worked through an exercise that simulates some of the perilous situations he might find himself in if he’s ever battling a blaze inside a house.
With wax paper covering his firefighter’s mask to mimic smoky conditions, Peterson, in full gear, had to crawl and climb his way around an obstacle course that replicates the walls and rafters of a house. He had to learn to feel for the fire-hose couplings so he could use the hose to guide himself out of a burning structure should he become disoriented or lost. There were wires that snagged his air tank and spaces that were nearly impossible for anyone with a tank on his back to get through without twisting just the right way.
Peterson emerged from the exercise sweaty and having used up a few dozen pounds of the air in his tank.
“I never thought there was that much behind it,” Peterson said. “You can get a panicky feeling if you’re stuck on something.”
Of doing the exercise inside the heavy firefighter’s suit, he said, “You just get really hot.”
But in real life, it can get much hotter, said Jerre Schlax, a city firefighter and paramedic who is in charge of the internship program.
“It can get from 600 to 2,000 degrees, depending on what’s burning,” Schlax said.
The idea behind the internship is to give aspiring firefighters such as Peterson the experience and training they’ll need once they fight real fires and flames are crackling, radio traffic is blaring and fellow firefighters could be depending on them for rescue.
“You really gotta keep your wits about you,” Schlax said.
The fire-sciences internship program at South Milwaukee began in September and serves two interns each school year. The other intern this year is Ian Schlax, Jerre Schlax’s son.
Three students applied for the program, one of several internships offered through the high school. They were interviewed and selected by a committee consisting of Gail Bowe, a career specialist and guidance coordinator for the school district; her husband, Dan Bowe, an administrative representative for the high school; and Jerre Schlax.
In addition to spending eight hours a week training at the firehouse, Peterson and the younger Schlax attend EMT classes at Milwaukee Area Technical College. They get high school credit for the internship but are not paid.
The interns do not assist in fighting fires or enter burning buildings, but they will soon begin observing fire scenes if a call comes in during their time at the firehouse.
The only cost to the school district is what it pays to send the pair to MATC for their EMT class.
Principal Gary Kiltz says internship programs provide “enriching experiences” for students as they search for career paths.
Interns don’t bypass other classes aspiring firefighters must take, but getting the training in high school gives them a leg up.
“So when they go to school,” Jerre Schlax said, “they’ll be ahead of the game.”