Bright and early on the hot, summer Saturday of July 13, 22 cadets aged 9 to 17 graduated from the week-long junior firefighter camp at the Northampton Fire Department.
Marking its second annual program, the Northampton Fire 42 Summer Camp saw a major success in junior cadet turnout, which increased from 17 cadets in 2023 to 22 cadets in 2024.
Last year, four of the cadets from the camp went on to join the fire department as junior firefighters and two went on to join neighboring fire departments.
To begin the ceremony, cadets marched to the flagpole across the street, helped erect the flag and recited the Pledge of Allegiance before marching back for speeches, certificates and demonstrations.
Camp Director Barry Frantz noted that in Pennsylvania in the 1980s, there were 275,000 volunteer firefighters, but today, that number is below 65,000.
“This [camp] is a way we can ensure that Northampton Borough and our surrounding communities continue to have volunteers,” said Frantz.
Frantz also spoke of how great the junior firefighter camp cadets did throughout the week despite the heat, such as actively participating in all training, demonstrations, activities and discussions, as well as some of the things the cadets learned about, such as what the life of a volunteer firefighter is like, the brother/sisterhood that the fire department creates, what Pastor Chuck Reed’s role as a chaplain at the fire department is since firefighters often see things many don’t see, which can take its toll on firefighters, fire safety plans for homes, a demonstration of fires occurring in living rooms when a bedroom door was open versus closed to show that the bedroom with the closed door only had minor smoke and soot damage, knot tying training and many of the various things firefighters are required to do during emergency service calls.
Frantz then thanked all of the individuals that helped put the program together including his wife Kelly, Fire Chief Keith Knoblach, Fire Department President Mark Laub, captains Michael Booke, Jim Kunkle and Nick Keller, retired Fire Police members Bruce and Ruth Miller who cooked all of the meals for the cadets during camp, Maria and Rick Wescoe from Northampton Regional EMS who facilitated CPR and Stop the Bleed training, Lehigh County Special Operations Center in Cetronia, Northampton County 911 Center who showed cadets what happens when they get phone calls for help such as coordinating with local emergency service departments, Northampton Borough Council and Northampton Borough Manager LeRoy Brobst for their approval of the program and support, as well as their allowance of the cadets to use the pool for a water rescue display, Northampton VFW for showing cadets how to fold the American flag, other individuals that donated their time throughout the week after they got off work and those who donated money to offset the expenses of the camp such as Marcy Taylor, widow of retired career firefighter Jim Miller who passed away after a motorcycle accident in 2022 and was a member of the Northampton Fire Department for 17 years.
Next, Pa. State Rep. Zach Mako shared his admiration of the program and offered the following words: “Programs like this help grow the junior firefighter program, and I also think it’s good because it instills a level of community service and giving back to your neighbors by helping to protect them. I want to thank the cadets that came out to do this because you took the leadership role to make yourself better and actually learned something over this last week that you can go back to teach your friends.”
Chief Knoblach and Mako then passed out state certificates, Northampton Fire Department certificates for completing the cadet program and certificates from Lehigh Valley Hospital for the Stop the Bleed training they received during the camp.
Camp graduates included Nicholas Robles (12), Madilynn Roach (15), James Anderson (13), Jevon Burgos (14), Alexandra Serensits (13), Evangeline Bing (11), Zoeliz Vazquez (11), Jacob Gehringer (9), Ella Odinyo (14), Ava Odinyo (12), Magdalen Bing (11), Killian Stackweather (14), Morgan Bumback (11), Isaiah Deveney (13), Owen Kunkel (12), Jack Brubaker (17), Landon Mitchell (14), Jordan Tumini (12), Blake Pinkerton (14) and Joey Pinkerton (12).
Anthony Lopsonzski, former Northampton Borough Council member, was in attendance to cheer on his granddaughter, Alexandra Serensits, who also happens to be the daughter of Fire Chief Knoblach.
Notably, Lopsonzski was one of the council members that voted to approve the program during his time on Northampton Borough Council and is very proud of the program and what it accomplishes.
“This is such a great program because it not only teaches them about emergency services, but also helps teach them valuable life lessons that they’ll carry with them as they get older,” Lopsonzski shared.
Later, camp cadets were excited to demonstrate some of the things they learned during a hose relay and a jaws of life competition, before getting to show their parents and families some of the fire department’s equipment and apparatus.
The Northampton Fire Department is already planning to continue the summer camp program next year during the second week of July, which will have room for up to 25 participants. Check back with the Northampton Borough Fire Department Facebook page next year for more information on the 2025 Northampton Fire 42 Summer Camp.
