As they near the end of their high school career, many students begin considering their plans for the future.
Some decide to look into the field of fire and rescue by joining volunteer fire departments.
Majd Mansour, a student at Forest Park High School in Woodbridge, became a cadet for the Dale City Volunteer Fire Department (DCVFD) six months ago.
Mansour talked about his experience and what he has learned since he has joined.
Why did you decide to join the cadet program?
Well, ever since I was a kid, I remember seeing the firefighters come to my school and do there little pub-ed. And they would just explain to us and they’d take us out to the engine and walk us through it and stuff. And ever since then, I just thought it was such an amazing thing. I loved watching them get dressed really fast and just run to the rig and go out there. And then I was like, “You know what? This is what I want to do when I’m older.”
What have you learned since you have joined?
I’ve been here for … maybe six months now, and I’ve learned a lot about just fire safety, what to do on scene of a fire. I’ve learned not … only fire stuff, but also stuff to better myself as a person outside of just firefighting.
Would you recommend this to other students?
I would absolutely recommend this program to other people in high school. It’s an amazing program. You learn a lot from it, you get to meet a lot of wonderful people, and you get to do a wonderful thing for your community, and it’s also a great thing to put on your resume if you ever want to apply for college or anything like that.
What has your experience been like?
Well, so far, my experience here has been amazing. Everyone’s been really good. I remember my first day I came in, my crew took me in and they made me one of them. The treated me like their little brother. And it’s just been amazing. Everyone in the department, they do everything they can to teach me, they work with me to make me a better cadet as well as — one day — prepare me for fire school. And they just want to make me a better person, overall.
To join the DCVFD, visit https://www.dcvfd.org/membership.
