CLIMBING THE LADDER

Cadet Program Hopes to Spark Best Qualities of Firefighters

Being a firefighter requires more than bravery. It also demands high levels of discipline, responsibility and physical skill as a number of Miami Beach Senior High School students are about to experience firsthand.

“Showing up and being on time is one of the very simple characteristics of self-discipline and responsibility that we are going to require,” explained Michael Sica, a former Miami Beach lifeguard who now is a firefighter with the Miami Beach Fire Department.

Starting in February, about 15 students in grades 9 - 12 will get an unfettered opportunity to learn the profession from seasoned veterans who will share the good with the bad.

“The kids will be given a set of rules. They will be held accountable for their behavior and their responsibilities,” Sica said.

The new Miami Beach Fire Department Cadet Program will include a physical component as well as technical training. It will be modeled after a program developed by the Florida Fire Chiefs Association, which is already being used in dozens of similar programs around the state.

“There’s going to be a substantial amount of running and strength training,” Sica acknowledged.

Gaby Avariano of the Miami Beach Parks and Recreation Department, which is sponsoring the program along with the Miami Beach Fire Department, said she dreamed of starting such a program after she graduated from Miami Beach Senior High School and made the decision to go through the fire academy.

“I realized that Miami Beach doesn’t have a student firefighter program,” she said. “We have a student police program, but not a fire one.”

The students who are chosen to participate in the program will attend weekly Sunday sessions through May. Coursework will include a physical and academic portion with hands-on training in first aid, fire prevention and firefighting skills.

Registration costs $150 and will close when all spots are filled. Participants must also pay a $20 monthly fee for miscellaneous expenses. Visit register.miamibeachparks.com to register under the 'Teen Club' section and for more information.

Claudio Navas of the Miami Beach Fire Department said he wanted to be a DJ as a kid until he found his true calling as a firefighter.

“I got introduced to the cadet program in Miami,” he recalled. “I did my first ride-along in Station 2, which is in Liberty City. My first call was a trauma alert. I was impressed with how the team worked together to stabilize the patient and get him to the hospital in a matter of minutes from the time we arrived on the scene. Twenty years later, I’m a firefighter.”

He went on ride-alongs with the Miami-Dade Police Department as well as Miami-Dade Fire Rescue before settling into his career. “I did a ride-along with the police and it was fun, but when I did a ride-along with the fire department, it was eye opening,” he said. “It was something that really changed my mentality and my discipline.”

Now, he wants to pass along his passion for firefighting to a new crop of wide-eyed young men and women who want to explore whether firefighting is right for them.

“I’m the old guy now,” Navas quipped. “I did some amazing things. But unless you do it, and you get to wear those shoes, you don’t know if the fire department is right for you.”