Students spraying the fire hose as part of Firefighter for a Day (Image Credit: Liam Verster / Vernon Matters)

By Liam Verster

Career Opportunity

Vernon students get hands-on look at firefighting

May 11, 2026 | 4:03 PM

Vernon high school students are suiting up with Vernon Fire Rescue Services this week for the annual Firefighter for a Day initiative.

Fourteen female students in Grades 10 and 11 took part in the program on Monday, which gives them a hands-on look at the realities of firefighting. Another 15 male students were scheduled to participate Tuesday.

Students learned how to use firefighting equipment, climbed aboard the ladder truck and took part in emergency response simulations while wearing full firefighting gear.

“We want to give them all a real good [opportunity to experience] all the different facets of being a firefighter,” VFRS member John Doorman said.

“They get to go up in the 110 foot ladder truck. They get to do a hose evolution, which simulates taking the hose off the truck, seeing how heavy it is and how much work it takes to get to the actual fire, and then how much nozzle reaction there is when you actually get to pull the hose out at 120 PSI (pounds per square inch),” he explained.

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“Then they also get to take apart a car with the Jaws of Life, if you will, the spreaders and the cutters. So they get to do a little bit of evolutions of everything, and inside the building they also get to breach in a door and break some stuff, so it really gives you a really good feel of what the job entails.”

High schoolers going up the ladder truck and learning how to use the Jaws of Life as part of the Firefighter for a Day initiative (Image Credit: Liam Verster / Vernon Matters)

High schoolers spraying the fire hose as part of the Firefighter for a Day initiative (Image Credit: Liam Verster / Vernon Matters)

The day also included classroom sessions focused on career paths in firefighting, the different areas of the profession and the dedication required to serve the community.

“[Firefighting jobs are] in high demand, but cities are only getting bigger so you will need more firefighters, and we really want to encourage the youth to do this job,” Doorman explained.

“You get to support your community, you get to help people, you get to work in a great environment with a lot of big tools.”

The initiative began five years ago through former VFRS member Allison Reich as a way to encourage more women to enter the traditionally male-dominated profession. The program expanded in 2025 to include male students.

The initiative is offered through a partnership involving VFRS, the City of Vernon and School District 22.

“With Career Programs we always want to kids see themselves in different kinds of occupations, and this gives them a chance to spend the day and have some mentorship from the local fire department,” Corinne McWhinney, district principal of Career Programs and VLearn Academy for SD22, said.

“Every year that we have this opportunity come up there’s lots of excitement generated and we have lots of people ready to sign up right away.”

McWhinney said some students who previously participated in the program have since pursued careers related to emergency services.

“We’ve had a couple [students] for sure that want to pursue it, I’ve had students go into wildfire fighting as well, so this just gives them a taste,” McWhinney stated.

“These students are in Grade 10 and 11, so it takes them a couple years to get there, but definitely they’ve shared with me that ‘I can totally see myself doing this, I can’t wait.’”

Doorman noted most fire departments typically hire candidates in their 20s after they have gained more life experience, but said he would welcome former participants applying to VFRS in the future.

For Grade 11 student Kayla Short of Charles Bloom Secondary School, the program offered a chance to explore another community service career.

“I thought it would be a really cool learning experience because firefighters are really important to the community, so I figured it would be good to see what it’s about,” Short said.

“A couple weeks back I did the RCMP Youth Academy as well, so I’ve been checking out all the community services options for helping people out.”

Kayla Short standing next to VFRS’s ladder truck during the Firefighter for a Day (Image Credit: Liam Verster / Vernon Matters)

Short said handling the fire hose was one of the toughest parts of the day, though she also called it one of the highlights alongside riding in the ladder truck bucket.

“This is a super fun experience and to any young girl I would recommend they do this program because I learned a lot,” Short said.

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by Liam Verster

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