34 Cadets Graduate from Holiday Park VFD Fire Camp 2025

34 cadets from across Western Pennsylvania graduated on June 27, 2025 from our 7th annual Fire Camp for teens sponsored in part by the “UPMC Community Commitment” program. The Holiday Park Volunteer Fire Department each summer hosts the week-long camp for youth 14 – 17 years of age who are interested in the Emergency Services fields whether as a career path or as volunteers. A cadre of instructors and staff from the areas of Fire, Emergency Medical Services, & Emergency Management provide the campers, or as we call them: cadets; a glimpse into the Fire Service and sample what it’s like to be in it.

Similar to an interactive boot-camp, the cadets learned teamwork, lifesaving skills, and gained exposure to what it’s like to serve as a volunteer firefighter or emergency responder. Sessions include but were not limited to: Hose lines, Vehicle Extrication, Hooks & Ladders, Search & Rescue, Water Rescue, First Aid, CPR/AED, Stop the Bleed, and more! A portion of the program took place at the Monroeville Public Safety Training Center where the cadets experienced training skills stations and then on Friday took all those skills learned during the week and put them into practice via realistic “roll-out” mock scenarios.

Cadets left camp with several fire and EMS certifications that will help kick start their careers and will hopefully lead them to join a local volunteer department near their homes. Our cadets included teens who have never had any exposure to the fire service as well as several who have just recently joined departments as brand-new junior firefighters. A graduation ceremony was held Friday evening for the cadets at our fire station where their families acknowledged the hard work that the cadets put in that week.

Camp Stats
– 24 Male + 10 Female = 34 total Cadets
– 14 Returning Cadets + 20 New Cadets
– 13 Cadets not affiliated with any fire department or agency
– 50+ Volunteers on Camp Staff from numerous agencies
– 2,000+ Volunteer Hours involved during the week

Photos & videos of each day can be found on our official Facebook Account.

Before we do a recap of the week, day by day, lets meet the four squads of cadets…

FIRST PLATOON
1st Platoon under the command of Firefighter/EMT Chuckie Usher includes Squad A and Squad B:
SQUAD A
Squad Leader: Firefighter/EMR Mike Schuster
Squad Assistant: Firefighter Greg Carbon

SQUAD B
Squad Leader: Captain/EMT Joey Flannick
Squad Assistant: Firefighter Horatio Dawson

SECOND PLATOON
2nd Platoon under the command of Assistant Chief Josh Scalamogna includes Squad C and Squad D:
SQUAD C
Squad Leader: Firefighter Mike Mlynar
Squad Assistant: Firefighter Eli Hohmann

SQUAD D
Squad Leader: Firefighter/EMT Dan Barnhart
Squad Assistants: Firefighter/EMT Issac Stableton and Firefighter Sean Cochrane

Monday

(PHOTO: Squad Leader Mike Schuster & Assistant Squad Leader Greg Carbon review how SCBA operates)

The first day camp is one built around introduction, fundamentals, and EMS skills. It starts off with a get to know me session with the camp staff, then goes into Safety Briefing, Squad team-building, and SCBA/gear familiarity. 20 of our 33 cadets this year are new to the program and 13 cadets have no alignment to any emergency service agency.

Lunch was provided by a good friend of first responders, Patyn McCune, owner of Lelulo’s Pizzeria in Plum. The afternoon centered around Life-Saving skills such as CPR, First Aid, and Stop the Bleed certifications. CCAC Public Safety Institute sponsored the American Heart Association certification cards for CPR; a long time partner of the Holiday Park VFD, especially when we host them for Emergency Medical Responder CCAC courses.

The final skills of the day combines into an important function: “Firefighter Down CPR” where cadets learn how to handle a firefighter who is full turn-out gear & SCBA pack undergoing a cardiac arrest, and how quickly perform high functioning CPR on him/her.

Tuesday

(PHOTO: The squads practice for the hose line advancement & teamwork competition)

Day 2 started out with a lecture on MAY DAY incidents from DCFD Firefighter Alex Plutto (also GRIT Fire Training LLC) that later lead into a hands-on station for the cadets to experience. There were also three other stations that the cadets rotated through: SCBA Confidence Course, Room Search in Smoke Conditions, and Search & Rescue with limited visibility.

Mission BBQ in Monroeville sponsored today’s lunch and provided BBQ Chicken & Pork, Baked Beans, and good old fashioned Mac-N-Cheese. This is their second year in being one of our camp sponsors and we are grateful to them.

The afternoon took the cadets up to the Plum Middle School Complex where they rotated through the following stations: Hoselines, Hydrants, Large Diameter Hoselines/Monitors, and Ground Ladders operations. The day ended with our annual hose advancement competition between the squads to see who can knock down the targets acting as team in the shortest amount of time. We would like to thank the Plum Borough School District for allowing us again this year, the use of their complex for camp.

Cadets were carefully monitored during their training sessions with the high heat today and thanks to generous donations from the following, plenty of bottled water and Gatorade: Renton Volunteer Fire Department, the Svidron family, and the Cook family.

Wednesday

(VIDEO: A cadet going through the VES skills station)

Day 3 found the cadets going through skills stations involving personal safety and rescue operations:
Vent Enter Search (VES) via a raised raised
Roof Ventilation on an Inclined Platform
Searching a Hoarder House
Wall Breaching for Escape

Lunch was homemade pasta & meatballs via our staff of culinary specialists along with some sweets for dessert.

The afternoon focused on vehicle rescue operations mixed in with a inside cool-down session of Fire Dynamics in the rotation of:
Vehicle Rescue Tools
Vehicle Stabilization
Rapid Extrication
Fire Dynamics

Thursday

(PHOTO: Cadets move through the smoke (simulated) maze, seen via a Thermal Imaging Camera)

Day 4 of Fire Camp took the cadets to the training center for early start for jam packed day. The morning focused on the following skill stations:
Multifloored Hoseline Operations
Tanker Operations
Ventilation
Forcible Entry

Lunch was a good break from the heat with food provided by Dee Jay’s Lounge – Murrysville; their second year as a fire camp sponsor. If you are looking for a place to chill, eat, and relax after work, then DeeJay’s is a place to check out.

The cadets headed back out to the training complex in the afternoon to focus on the following skill stations:
Maze (with obstacles in smoke conditions)
Hazardous Materials Response
Water Can & Fire Extinguisher Confidence
Rapid Intervention Team (RIT) Operations

Even with the higher than usual temperatures, all the cadets soared through successfully all the skill stations with rehab/hydration breaks built into the cycles.

Thank you to the fire chiefs & police chief of Monroeville for allowing us to return to their training center for the third year in a row and supporting us with several of their staff as instructors & medical team members. Thank you to West Wilmerding VFD Station 211 for bringing out their Tanker & teaching tanker operations for the second year. Thank you to Wilkins Township VFC No. 1 for bringing their engine & a crew to help as instructors.

Friday

(PHOTO: The squads underway at various locations on the Monroeville Public Safety Training Center complex)

The final day of Fire Camp was jam packed from the moment the cadets arrived till graduation dinner. We returned to the Monroeville Public Safety Training Center in the morning to conduct “roll-out scenarios” which had the squads utilize the skills they learned all week & combine it with team work to complete four individual emergency situations. These ranged from rescue victims from burning building to vehicle stabilization with rapid extrication to dealing with upper level incidents in a structure.

The cadets cooled down during a delicious lunch of subs courtesy of the local branch of SERVPRO who specializes in property damage restoration and cleaning services.

Right after lunch Allegheny Health Network’s LifeFlight conducted a helicopter landing zone awareness class and brought in one of their medical helicopters for the cadets to see land and get a tour of.

They were then whisked off to the Sampson Family YMCA where they took part in water rescue skills as well as some fun time to cool off in the indoor pool. The YMCA staff is a local partner of the fire department and has for many years given us access to their facilities not only for camp but rescue classes during the year.

The cadets were released at the end of the day to head home, clean-up, and then return to the station with their families for a graduation ceremony & dinner.

Each year one cadet is selected the “Benjamin Franklin Award” based on their hard work, dedication, and attitude during camp. Ben as you know, is the “Father of the Fire Service” in the United States having started the first fire department outside of Philadelphia. This year’s recipient of the award excels at being a top cadet and all around positive example of our youth setting the stage for the future: Kristy Kauffman, a 1st Year Cadet & Junior Firefighter of Wilkins Township VFC No. 1.