Boy Scouts attend junior fire academy

Willows firefighters spent the weekend showing a group of Chico Boy Scouts how to be real firefighters.

“It’s a great experience for them and for us,” said Willows Fire Chief Wayne Peabody.

Jared Alves said he enjoyed watching the fire fighters demonstrate the heavy machinery and tools they use to extract car accident victims from their vehicles.

“I’m having fun,” the 12-year-old Boy Scout said Sunday. “It’s cool learning about firefighters and what they do.”

The scouts arrived Friday evening and spent the weekend participating in the firehouse’s first junior fire academy ever.

“We had a great time,” Peabody said, “and I hope we get to do more of these.’

The scouts held a rigorous schedule of fire safety instruction, rappelling down walls and other basic duties.

On Sunday, the boys prepared a pancake and sausage breakfast for the firemen and spent the rest of the morning helping to tear apart a car.

The firefighters showed the boys the tools used to extract crash victims from their vehicles. The kids took turns smashing out car windows and helped remove the vehicle’s roof.

“That was totally awesome,” said 12-year-old Ryan Weaver.

Assistant Scoutmaster Russ Weaver called the experience fantastic. The scouts were able to earn four merit badges for their participation in the junior fire academy, Weaver said.

“As a kid you always wonder what it’s like to be fire fighter,” he said. “It’s great for these kids to get so much one-on-one time with these guys. Now I want to be a fire fighter too.”

Contact Rob Parsons at 934-6800 or rparsons@tcnpress.com.