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Sep. 27--GLOUCESTER -- Whenever you call 911 in the county, you expect first responders and firefighters to come to your aid.

In Gloucester, you might also see 16- to 18-year-old high school students coming along for the ride.

The Gloucester County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department taps into the services of its Junior Squad -- high school students, dressed in their trademark light blue T-shirts, who volunteer their EMT services for certain calls.

"They are a huge, huge help to our department," said Stacey Williams, the coordinator of the Junior Squad program. She has been with the department for 10 years as a medic. "It's been nothing but positive."

During her time as coordinator, Williams' organizational skill "has been unmatched" in serving the program, said Susan McNulty, a 15-year veteran of the department as a medic. "Her enthusiasm has made the program so successful."

Her enthusiasm spreads to the Juniors, who "feel they're doing something to help," she said.

Program's origin

The Junior Squad has been an on-again, off-again program with the department for more than 15 years, which was started by chief Sean McNulty to reach out to the community.

The program selects four teenagers based on applications submitted to the unit, although that number might expand to five in the future, Williams said.

After on-the-field and classroom training in patient care, the teens are able to respond to calls with the squad just as any other emergency responder. Members also work with duty crews to check, inventory and test equipment. Members can gain valuable experience toward obtaining or advancing their EMT certifications.

"It's a huge commitment," Williams said.

The squad's members are eligible to become full members of the fire department after they turn 18 and graduate from high school.

"It was kind of exciting," said Randi Rondeau, 19, a former Junior Squad member who is now a member of the fire department as a firefighter and a medic, about her time as a Junior. "(The program) definitely helped a lot."

Some Junior Squad members have gone on to nursing, emergency care, firefighting and other specialties, McNulty said.

Public outreach

The reach of Junior Squad members spreads beyond the help provided to crash scenes and emergency calls in the county. Squad members also assist in the fire department's blood drives, such as the one scheduled for Oct. 2 from 2-8 p.m. at Station No. 1, 6595 Main St.

The blood drive holds special meaning for the department. It was organized by the squad in 2007 in response to a car accident that claimed the life of Sean and Susan McNulty's son, Sean, four years ago.

The Junior Squad has spread the word of the blood drive in radio appearances and at other community events, McNulty said.

These types of community outreach are in addition to their work in the field.

Out in the field

An experienced squad member accompanies a Junior Squad volunteer at all times when out in the field.

"We watch them real close," Williams said. "We're very protective of them."

The training, time and protection as a Junior Squad member have paid dividends for Rondeau.

"You get to the scene and you know what you're doing," she said. "You automatically go into gear."

Junior Squad members Katya Cheremeteff and Elisabeth Revak recommend the program to their peers wishing to get into firefighting or the medical field. Even if you fail the entrance test to become a Junior Squad member, Revak said, "you still walk out with more than you started."

"I'm glad I got chosen," Revak said, who previously volunteered at Riverside Walter Reed Hospital.

"It's fun -- I like it here," Cheremeteff said. "It's my second home."

Do you want to be a Junior Squad member?

For more information on

how you can become a

Junior Squad member of

the Gloucester Volunteer

Fire and Rescue Squad,

call 804-693-2148 or

e-mail lt104@gvfrs.org.