Heart for service at Moscow Volunteer Fire Department

can help advance careers and give students great experience.

Many students travel or vacation over spring break, but a group of 20 University of Idaho students got to experience a truly memorable week in South Korea. Thanks to a collaboration between the UI History Department and the Idaho Asia Institute, a group of 20 students spent 10 days exploring South Korea during spring break.

Each day of the trip consisted of guided outings and having free time to explore so that everyone could have a unique experience.

The Moscow Volunteer Fire Department offers a unique program for students who would like to support and help their community. The MVFD offers a student residency program with the fire stations around Moscow. The program offers free housing in the fire stations and on-duty training, as well as Driver and Operator training. Student residents make up around 25% of MVFD volunteers.

Throughout the academic year, residents receive around 300-400 hours of training and experience in on-duty shifts as a firefighter or EMT. Student residents take on the role of “rookies” and get crucial hands-on experience, including live-burn training later in the program. The program starts in August, with beginner fire training starting in late July.

Current student fire station resident Shelby Hobbs explained how the program

“If firefighting is a career you would like to go into, this program sets you up with experience, and helps you get your foot in the door,” Hobbs said.

Any students that are interested must have graduated high school, be enrolled in 12 credits, have at least a 2.5 GPA, pass a criminal background check and pass a physical fitness test. Though the application deadline has passed for this year, interested students can apply for residency next spring. Even though residency spots are full for the year, students can still sign up to be volunteers or receive fire/EMT training. If any students are interested in the program, they can call EMS coordinator Pam Rogers at (208)-883-7163.

The Moscow Volunteer Fire Department is over 125 years old and has over 100 volunteers that operate in the community. The MVFD provides fire and EMS services to the city of Moscow, the rural fire district and support Latah County.

Rogers described the experience of working at the MVFD and how their team works together.

“Everyone in our agency has a passion and a heart for service and it’s amazing to be on a team where everyone is feeling that as well,” Rogers said.

The MVFD responds to many EMS and fire calls throughout the year. On average, the MVFD answers around 2,800-3,000 fire and medical emergencies every year.

Hobbs highly recommends volunteering for the MVFD and said that she loves supporting her community.

“The best part about being a firefighter is knowing that you can support your community,” Hobbs said. “Knowing that you can be there for someone on the worst day of their life and give them the help and support they need is a great feeling.”

The group consisted of Professor Jeff KyongMcClain and 20 students from many different majors who were all connected by their interest in South Korean culture and history.

Laney Kinnick, a sophomore studying business, explained that she was drawn to the trip due to her love for Asian media and her interest in the opportunity to explore new cultures.

“I have consumed a lot of Asian media, like K-dramas and just Asian music in general,” Kinnick said. “I actually originally wanted to go to Japan, but Korea was the trip we were taking, and it ended up being such an amazing trip.”

Luke Goodwin, a junior majoring in political science and history, did not have a previous interest in Korean culture like many of the other members of the group. He saw the trip as an opportunity to learn about a culture he didn’t know much about and travel to a unique place.

“I just really wanted to travel, and frankly I didn’t know much about Korea. It wasn’t a country I had considered travelling to,” Goodwin said. “But I had a previous study abroad trip to Germany last summer, and I wanted to go abroad again for at least a short amount of time, so when Jeff mentioned he was going to South Korea, I kind of jumped into that opportunity.”

One of the main focuses of the trip was visiting and learning about historical places in South Korea. The country has a long and rich history that the group was able to explore over the duration of their trip.

Hanna Valentine, a freshman environmental science major, enjoyed the opportunity to experience the culture and see the historical buildings.

“My favorite part of the trip was probably when we would get free time and be able to explore all the night markets that were in the cities that we went to, and then also getting to see the old buildings and

“We got to explore a lot of really cool museums and historical sites all over the country,” Goodwin said. “A couple of us went to a baseball game in South Korea. It was my first ever Major League Baseball game, which was so great because I love baseball. We had a lot of fun going, and that was a unique experience.”

The food was also something to remember for these students, as many were able to experience foods that they had never heard of before. The group became fully immersed in South Korean culture in a way that many Americans may never get to experience.

“A lot of the food was amazing. Having authentic Korean food was absolutely incredible, and my favorite was probably gimbap, which is similar to sushi,” Kinnick said.

While many students may feel as though travelling abroad while in college might be too expensive or difficult, the group from this trip seemed to agree that is not only travel abroad possible but also well worth it. Trips like this allow students who might not be able to study abroad for a whole semester to get the experience of travelling abroad with peers.

“I think absolutely anyone should do it. Before going abroad, I was hesitant because I really didn’t know if I had the ability or money, but it was doable,” Goodwin said. “It was a lot of fun, and there’s also a ton of support out there from the university to provide financial aid. It’s the perfect time to travel, so you might as well.”

Kinnick explained that having a chance to leave the country and experience the world beyond her immediate community was an unforgettable experience.

“If you ever do get a chance to do any kind of study abroad, or even just something like this spring break trip that I did, just do it,” Kinnick said. “It’s an amazing experience. Just getting out of this small town, Idaho, and being able to see a different culture...I do highly recommend it.”