By AMY L. KOVAC
HERALD NEWS

The new program is aimed at young people - boys and girls - who are interested in fire service, said George V. Fournier Jr., a firefighter with Rifle Camp Fire Company 3. The department will use the program as a way to bolster general department membership, which stands at about 55. Fournier said the department hopes the juniors will become full-fledged members once they reach 18.

"It's an incredible recruiting opportunity," Fournier said.

The department will assign juniors to a particular company based on where they live, and the juniors will train and attend meetings just as full-fledged firefighters do. The company will provide the juniors with gear, pagers and scanners. Juniors are not allowed to enter burning buildings; they instead provide outside support such as moving equipment and changing air packs.

To become a junior firefighter, students must maintain a C average and be physically fit. They are not allowed to respond to any emergencies that may interfere with school, which means they cannot respond to late-night or early morning calls. On school nights, they must adhere to a 10 p.m. curfew.

Across the nation, such programs are widely used to increase the number of volunteer firefighters, said Craig Sharman, director of government relations for the National Volunteer Fire Council of Washington, D.C. In the last 20 years, 10 to 15 percent fewer people have volunteered for fire service, Sharman said. He attributes this decline to increased time constraints on Americans that result from longer commute times and both parents in a household having to work. Almost 75 percent of the nation's firefighters are volunteers.

The situation is similar on the county and local level. Volunteer firefighters are required to go through extensive training, and many people don't have the time, said Donald C. Simmons Sr., the Passaic County committee member of the New Jersey State Firemen's Association. Therefore, reaching young adults becomes crucial because if they make the commitment to fire service early, they are likely to remain active throughout their lives.

West Paterson's Company 3 has been operating an informal junior program since May 1999, when the borough council approved an ordinance allowing the fire department to recruit junior members as young as 16. The department is now formalizing the program and bringing it to each of the three companies. About 10 young men have gone through the program at Company 3 so far, and the company currently has two junior members.

Israel Tolentino Jr. of Paterson has been volunteering at the West Paterson Volunteer Fire Department since 2002, after his uncle, a paid firefighter in Paterson, encouraged him to volunteer.

"Since I was a little kid I wanted to be a firefighter," Tolentino, 17, said. He is enrolled in a diesel engine mechanic program at Engine City Technical Institute and plans to attend the Public Safety Academy in Wayne once his paperwork is approved.

At the beginning of his training, Tolentino learned all the hose sizes and how to hook up to fire hydrants - and then all the guys at the company began to call him "water boy."

Tolentino said he has learned far more about firefighting than he thought he would in such a program. He has gone out on calls for car fires and small house fires and has started to train to enter burning buildings - something he can do once he turns 18 and becomes a full firefighter on Sept. 29.

Students interested in becoming a junior firefighter should call (973) 345-3899.

Amy L. Kovac at (973) 569-7153 or kovac@northjersey.com.