By Chloe Trofatter
syracuse.com
SYRACUSE, N.Y.— Cadets as young as 13 withstood storms, high temps and unhealthy air this week to attend the inaugural Central New York Youth Fire and EMS Training Weekend.
Twenty-five cadets from 10 different departments converged on the Fairmount Fire Department Training Center on Thursday for three days of skill, technique and endurance building.
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The cross-training program is the brainchild of Fairmount Fire’s David Mazzoni and Borodino Fire’s Mark Swing.
Mazzoni had the resources to share and a vision for a bigger, stronger youth fire infrastructure in Onondaga County. For Swing, mentorship has always been his goal.
“To train our future firefighters, to fill the seats of these fire trucks, that is what this is about.” Swing said. “And give the kids the foundation to start on for community service.”
Swing first stepped into a firehouse at just 14 years old.
Since then, he’s fought wildfires out West, rappelled out of helicopters and been fire chief twice.
Now, 43 years later, Swing is the founder of Borodino’s Fire Cadet Program, an effort that won him the 2026 FASNY Youth Mentor of the Year.
FASNY, the Firefighters Association of the State of New York, is an advocacy group for volunteer firefighters across the state, providing scholarships, training and educational opportunities.
Together, Swing and Mazzoni, with the support of FASNY, organized Stop the Bleed training, smoke-out simulations and exercises navigating a heavily cluttered home.
They randomly assigned groups of cadets to foster new friendships and reflect real-world fire response that requires multiple departments to work together on a scene.
For some, it was their first time wearing a fire suit. Others have been cadets for years, with nothing but their age standing in the way of joining a department.
“I really enjoy being there, I love all the guys there, love everything about it,” said Connor Young, a 17-year-old restricted firefighter in Minoa.
With three years in the program, Young is fully trained as a junior in high school.
Once he graduates next year, he plans on studying fire protection technology at Onondaga Community College.
“If you want to do it,” he said. “Get into it young and you’ll enjoy it for the rest of your life and make lifelong friends.”
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