Date: Fri 16-Jan-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: KAAREN

Quick Words:

firefighters-training-Casper

Full Text:

A Volunteer's Firefighting Skills Are Bought With Dedication

(with cuts)

Edward J. Casper of Roxbury recently took the state's Fire Fighter I course

with 17 other aspiring volunteer firefighters, most of them from the Newtown

area. Mr Casper's reflections on the experience follow:

BY EDWARD J. CASPER

At 7:30 pm, January 5, at a monthly meeting of Botsford firefighters at the

United Fire Company of Botsford, firefighter, officer, and treasurer Kurt J.

Schramek was presented by his Fall 1997 Firefighting I Class with a large

plaque, a gift certificate to Clearwaters restaurant in Monroe, and a set of

framed pictures, to thunderous applause from the 40 firefighters in

attendance.

The plaque, from New England Awards and Specialties of Danbury, consists of a

large relief of firefighters in action, and on a brass plate beneath reads,

"Kurt J. Schramek, Instructor, United Fire Company of Botsford. Excellence of

Instruction, Commitment to the Fire Service and its Future through Training.

Connecticut Fire Academy Firefighter I Class, Fall 1997." The pictures were of

various exercises undertaken by the class, and a group photo taken at the

smoke house in Burrville, Conn.

This Firefighter I Class trained with Kurt and other instructors from Tuesday,

September 16, 1997 to Thursday, December 11, 1997. The class received

classroom instruction and training with firefighting equipment for about 185

hours over the three-month period. A "practical" day-long final exam

demonstrating each firefighter's expertise with equipment was conducted on

Saturday, December 6, and a two-hour written final exam was given on Saturday,

December 13. Each of the 18 firefighter volunteers from eight fire departments

(Monroe, Botsford, Sandy Hook, Stepney, Hawleyville, Dodgingtown, Wooster

Hose, and Roxbury) passed the practical exam and are awaiting the results of

their written exam from the Connecticut Fire Academy in Windsor Locks.

For three months I saw more of Kurt than of my wife.

Kurt has been a professional firefighter in Waterbury for over three years,

and a volunteer in the Botsford fire company for about the same amount of

time. He spent about 185 hours training 18 firefighters in all aspects of

firefighting, including equipment, safety, rescue, fire extinguishment,

building construction, communications, prevention and education, hazardous

materials, first aid and CPR. Class met every Tuesday and Thursday evening for

five hours and every other Saturday and Sunday for eight hours each day. We

began each session demonstrating that we could put on our oxygen tanks and

some related gear in less than 45 seconds, then proceeded with the rest of the

lesson.

Kurt was paid little more than minimum wage for this effort, showing his

devotion to the cause of fire prevention in the Newtown area. He is owed a

deep debt of gratitude by the Newtown people. Should the residents of Newtown

not be aware of the large amount of time devoted by firefighters to the town,

volunteer firefighters from each of the five Newtown departments respond to an

average of a few fire calls a day, train and work on equipment one evening a

week, have a monthly meeting with the board of each department, and spend

other time working at events, on the equipment, and receiving training in the

plethora of courses offered by the Connecticut Fire Academy. firefighters even

have to shell out some of their own money for things like blue flashing lights

for their cars, bags to hold their gear, flashlights, personal car wear, gas,

and money lost from time away from work.

Kurt did a great job of preparing each of us for the arduous task of

firefighting. He not only taught the basic curriculum of over 700 pages of

text and 150 pages of workbooks, but presented over 30 hours of videotapes of

firefighting in the field, and added many hours of descriptions of his own

experiences. Bill McAllister was a co-instructor for much of the course, and

as he was unable to attend the meeting, was presented with a similar plaque in

his office at the Connecticut Insurance Agency in Sandy Hook. Many instructors

who specialize in various fields of firefighting were brought in from as far

away as Detroit. Each of the students feels that not only do we have a good

background in what the state thinks we should know about firefighting, but

have received much knowledge from Kurt and the other instructors about the

real-life aspects of firefighting. We had the rare privilege of practicing

many of our skills on a section of the shopping center on Queen Street in

downtown Newtown before that section was recently removed, and worked in real

fire situations at the smoke house in Burrville.

Kurt has told many stories about many of his battles with fire and rescues of

residents, but one of his best known occurred across the street from his home.

Kurt does not live far from the Botsford department. One day a woman was

standing outside her home near the department screaming. Her house was on

fire. Kurt heard her cries. He made sure that 911 was called, and had pulled

an engine over to her house and doused the fire before any other firefighters

had a chance to even arrive at the scene.

Kurt can not only be very proud with himself for what he has unselfishly

contributed to this community with his volunteer work, but can also be proud

of the fact that he has turned 18 raw rookies into skilled, professional

firefighters. In addition to knowledge, a sense of discipline, devotion to a

cause, and camaraderie were instilled in the rookies. Each of us now has the

confidence to help protect our communities alongside more experienced

firefighters, is deeply in debt to Kurt, and thank him for a job well done.

The eight communities that the students come from also owe Kurt a debt of

gratitude for helping contribute to fire prevention and the saving of property

and lives.

Although it was suggested to Kurt that the gift certificate was large enough

for him to offer a beer at Clearwaters for each firefighter in attendance, he

nevertheless declined and has decided to take his girlfriend out to dinner

instead.