Pat McAbery recently landed on a different shift during his day job as a firefighter for the Gresham Fire Department. And on one of the first calls, he ran into a familiar face – a young firefighter cutting holes in the roof to release smoke just as he had been taught by McAbery, who runs the Gresham’s Explorers program.

McAbery, also a volunteer battalion chief for Hoodland Fire District, estimates
approximately 10 percent of the career staff in Gresham were taught by him
through the program, a Boy Scout sponsored activity that introduces
interested young adults to what it means to be a firefighter.

And his influence is also evident on the mountain, where he grew up helping
his mother respond to emergency calls as a young boy in the 1970s and
where he now helps run the HFD Explorers program for those youths between
the ages of 14 and 18.

“It’s hugely rewarding for me,” McAbery said, noting the HFDs current
Firefighter of the Year, Tony Hadeed, was a student of his in the Gresham
program.

HFD’s current program got started approximately 12 years ago when Linn
Norgard’s oldest son and nine other kids of firefighters signed up. Norgard,
who has run the program since, noted participation in it has ebbed and flowed
over the years, but a number of graduates have gone on to pursue careers in
the fire services, including three former explorers in the current training
company of the HFD.

“It’s pretty cool to be able to help these guys along,” Norgard said. “It’s been
pretty rewarding watching some of the kids grow up and move onto fire jobs.”

The Hoodland Explorers meet every Monday night to learn about the
essentials of being a firefighter, including learning about engines, tools, how
to properly pull out a hose and other skills. And while Explorers cannot be
active participants on fire calls, they are able to provide some assistance after
learning some of the basics, providing an extra set of hands that can make a
difference on a call.

“They’ll actually be able to hook up the tools and prep up for the guys who
can use the tools,” Norgard said.

McAbery stresses a hands-on approach with the program, letting the Explorers
gain mastery of the physical techniques a firefighter needs and leaving the
book learning for when the Explorers are ready to join the volunteer ranks at
the age of 18.

“They’re going to be touching, pulling, feeling, doing,” McAbery said. “Let’s
work on those skills so they know how to pull a hose, where things are on the
rig; then do it for three years, get into volunteers and then they can
concentrate on bookwork.”

Norgard also stressed that the first priority for every Explorer is their current
schoolwork, and that they can get help with that, too, if they need it.

“Explorers (program) is secondary,” said Norgard, who hopes to have
weekend job shadows for those interested in pursuing careers as firefighter
sometime in the future.

The current crop of Explorers have found it to be fun and challenging,
including getting a feel for some of the tools, such as the “jaws of life.”

“They’re heavy, but once you get them on hand you’ll remember it,” said
Aaron Hunt, 14, a freshman at Sandy High School who started last summer.

“We have to remember all the stuff on the engines. It’s a little challenging but
I like challenges.”

Sean Fortune has followed in the footsteps of two brothers who went through
the program and his father, who was a volunteer and now is on the HFD board
of directors.

Fortune, 15 and also a freshman at the high school, noted he’s been around
the fire station since before he can remember.

“Just coming up here as a kid made me want to get involved,” he said. “It had
always been a pretty cool thing.”

Mackenzie Brink was introduced to the idea last year when she saw a
presentation on the program in her eighth grade class at Welches Middle
School. Now a freshman at SHS, she has not just learned what it takes to be a
firefighter, but she has gained confidence and made new friends.

“I just fell in love with pulling hose, putting turnouts on and working
together,” Brink, 15, said.

For more information, call 503-622-3256.