Jr. Fire Academy a success

Emily Larson, a Tea Area High School senior, joined the Tea Fire Dept.’s Cadet Program over a year ago. Now she is the Chief of the Cadets, and on Saturday hosted the first Junior Fire Academy at the Tea Fire Station as part of her Senior Project.

Larson, the daughter of Becky Bowers and Brad Larson, of Tea said she joined the Cadet Program because several of her friends were participating, she stays with it because she likes it. She said, “I want to go to college to get a degree to become a full-time fire fighter.”

She is looking to pursue a degree in fire science and emergency management. For now though, she is focusing on making her senior year a success—much like Saturday’s event. Youth from the Tea community came Saturday to take part in the Junior Fire Academy, which included an obstacle course that involved going through the crawl back, pulling dummies, and spraying the hose. Kids also were able to check out the fire trucks at the station and visit with the local fire fighters. There was also a bake sale organized by the Auxiliary.

The cost for the obstacle course was $1; the money raised will be used for the Cadet Program Larson said. Her idea for the Junior Fire Academy came about in her search for ways to get the community more involved with the Fire Dept.

She said, “I was looking up online about ways to get the community involved, and kids love the fire department, so I thought it would be a good fit.”