Monroe firefighters host “Forged by Fire” boot camp

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - Monroe firefighters wrapped up a two-day youth boot camp on Thursday aimed at showing high school aged students what it takes to serve in EMS and the fire service.

“Forged by Fire” helped students earn CPR and “Stop the Bleed” certifications on Wednesday. They were also visited by UW Med-Flight and Green County EMS.

On Thursday, the boot camp focused on fire training, starting with a live car-fire demonstration before participating in hands-on stations like search and rescue, forcible entry and elevated rescues.

Organizers say the goal was to give students exposure to the work to help them see if they want to pursue emergency services career paths in the future.

“Some of these kids, they’re going to learn that they don’t like fire or EMS, and that’s okay. We have to figure life out,” City of Monroe Fire Chief Alan Rufer said. “Some of them are going to say ‘wow, I didn’t think I could do that,’ or ‘I really like that.’ It’d be really nice to know we made a little bit of difference.”

This is the first year of “Forged by Fire” and 14 teens attended the bootcamp.

Click here to download the WMTV15 News app or our WMTV15 First Alert weather app.