Camp season is in full swing, and the Beverly Hills Fire Department (BHFD) has spent the week training the next generation of first responders. The department’s Jr. Firefighter Camp officially began on July 15 and takes place daily through July 19. The week-long program, which currently has the highest enrollment in its history, teaches young people about all the responsibilities of being a firefighter and prepares them for future jobs at the department.
“We hope that we’re showing some of the younger students that this might be a process or a position they might want to hold in the future,” BHFD Chief Gregory Barton told the Courier. He explained that past campers have gone on to get their EMT licenses and work at private ambulance companies. The camp is open to ages 10 through 15, so it’s a great place for young people to discover a future career goal. And no matter what they end up pursuing later in life, the CPR and first aid training provide them with valuable skills that they can take with them anywhere.
Each day of the week-long program, this year’s 30 campers have learned different firefighter jobs. Firefighter Paramedic Jimmy Weinstein leads the camp, helping participants learn by example. On day one, the attendees were initiated with a tour of the fire station and a fire engine orientation before they learned about fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, exit drills and fire prevention. Basic medical training took place on day two. On day three, the campers were able to handle a heavy fire hose, practice spraying water and attempt to run with it, giving them a better idea of what it takes to put out a fire. The firefighters rewarded campers by spraying them with a low-pressure hose to cool off after a hot day of activities. On day four, they learned about ladders, sawed through metal, held the jaws of life and toured a ladder truck. On the last day, the campers will get to go on a ride in the fire engine before heading back to the station for a graduation ceremony.
This year, campers enjoyed the focus on medical training, where they got to use real EMT equipment. “Education is a big thing for us and then their safety as well,” Weinstein told the Courier. “We have some awesome equipment that we’re allowing them to use, and they’re having an awesome time.”
Emily Moffit Fialho, a mom of Horace Mann Elementary School 5th grader Lara, described how much her daughter has already learned from the camp. Fialho enrolled her daughter in the Jr. Firefighter Camp so that she could learn about all the different duties involved in firefighting, since, as she explained, there is so much more they do than fighting fires. She also wanted them to learn CPR and first aid basics. “This camp has allowed for camaraderie and cooperation while having fun and learning vital emergency information,” she told the Courier. “[On July 16] Lara came home in a leg cast, an arm splint and EKG nodes still on from a first aid training exercise and was so jazzed to have learned how to use them and how everything worked. [The campers] felt empowered this week and I bet they’ll want to continue next year.”
As Weinstein told the Courier, Jr. Firefighter Camp took place for a few summers before the COVID-19 pandemic caused it to go on hiatus. In 2023, BHFD decided to bring it back, and due to high demand, they increased the number of slots from 25 to 30 in 2024. “I think the kids can be more engaged and they like getting out and doing all the physical activity,” said Weinstein. “I think we’ve got a good group of kids that want to be active or want to be out there and understand what it takes to be a firefighter— what firefighters do, and paramedics do.” As he explained, the firefighters enjoy the camp just as much as the kids do. “These are firefighters that are taking time out of their day from going home to their kids and their families to help teach these kids and the youth here in our community what we do,” he told the Courier. Because of popular demand, the camp is now being held annually, and Weinstein said he would love to expand it to allow even more participants in the future.
