Pike, Springfield, Mad River and Harmony townships and area vocational schools have cadet programs.
King said he hopes to get the program started within the next two weeks. The program will cost Bethel Twp. approximately $125 per cadet. It will be funded through the township’s budget, along with money from the Bethel Twp. Firefighters Association.
“We will (also) expect the cadets to do fund-raisers,” King added.
King explained why the program was halted.
“We were transitioning from one to two fire stations,” he said. “There were also liability concerns, as the program was not established under any larger organization which would assume liability in the case of an accident or injury. That has now been addressed through a partnership with the Boy Scouts of America.
“We just saw we weren’t giving (the kids) the time they needed,” King continued. “We just wanted to make sure we’re giving a good program for our students.”
King credited Bethel Twp. Fire Capt. Felix Shanahan and Lt. James Carpenter with “doing a lot of the leg work” on the program.
King said high school juniors and seniors will be eligible to participate in the cadet program.
“We look at their ability, drive and (if) there’s not a huge dependency on parents to get them to the meetings or to the station for training,” he said. “If it can be expanded to younger members, then we will do that.”
Response to the revitalized program has been stronger than expected, with at least 12 students signing up and others expressing interest, King said.
“I’m really excited,” he said. “There’s so many people interested in the program, being part of our department and possibly transitioning from cadet to being a member of the fire department.”
He believes cadet programs are also important to the community.
“It’s another avenue for kids to be engaged in doing something (positive),” he said, “not only being part of an organization, but one that’s teaching them services for the community (and skills they can use later in life).”
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