Lodi students get first-hand look at how first responders keep people safe
Orange safety cones, a 6foot wooden wall and a human-sized dummy laying on a stretcher were all placed on the grass at Lincoln Technical Academy on Wednesday afternoon, where they were used for the inaugural Public Safety Career Day.
The event offered Lodi Unified School District high school students an opportunity to learn about careers as first responders, with representatives from various agencies answering questions and handing out fliers to curious students. Although it is the first career fair dedicated specifically to public safety careers for Lodi, Lt. Shad Canestrino of the Lodi Police Department hopes that it will spark an interest in law enforcement, firefighting or emergency medical technician careers in some of the students.
“The idea came about because we’re moving more and more toward showing high school students paths to law enforcement and public safety careers, so we have various organizations here to show students some of the different paths. We’ll probably have between 400 and 600 students show up, which is double what I was expecting,” Canestrino said.
Canestrino then explained that the Lodi Police Department looks for honest candidates with good moral character, who can demonstrate the motivation to work independently as well as follow directions. As with all law enforcement careers, candidates must be at least 21 years of age, and have no felony convictions.
For high school students interested in pursuing careers in law enforcement, he recommends that they look into volunteer Cadet or Explorer programs, which he feels is a good first step toward that goal. He also encourages higher education, either through a community college or university, explaining that college graduates often make better police officers once they begin their careers.
Involvement in community service organizations can also help high school students prepare for careers in law enforcement as it demonstrates a dedication to helping one’s community, which Canestrino explained is one of the most important traits in a police officer, along with having a detail-oriented, inquisitive personality.
“The best officers are involved with their communities because they want to be, because they’re civic minded. Eagle Scouts make some of the best police officers. Another character trait to have is to be able to recognize when something is out of place, and to want to find out why,” Canestrino said.
Much like Canestrino, Sgt. Marc Baes and Sgt. Andre Bryant of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation hoped to set the students on the path to careers as first responders, although they also went to the career day with the goal of making students aware of the different careers available in the prison system.
“A state prison functions like a little city. We have teachers, doctors, firefighters, plumbers. We educate inmates and teach them job skills. Depending on how long their sentence is, it’s not unheard of for an inmate to come out with a associate’s, bachelor’s or even a master’s degree,” Baes said.
Besides having a college degree, which Baes says can help with earning promotions as an officer, he feels that military experience can help prepare people for law enforcement careers as it helps instill leadership skills, teamwork and discipline, all traits that he says make for better officers. Playing sports in high school can also help teach teamwork and leader“I ship, as well as build positive habits for physical fitness.
Physical fitness is also a valuable skill for prospective firefighters, according to John Heinrich, who teaches Fire Science at Lincoln Technical Academy to high school students within Lodi Unified School District. While some of the law enforcement agencies had set up a 6-foot wooden wall for students to scale, Heinrich’s own students demonstrated their physical aptitude by unrolling a fire hose wearing fire-retardant jackets and helmets, as well as a ladder that they climbed while wearing the jackets and helmets as well as a self-contained breathing apparatus.
William Sams, a 16-year-old junior at Tokay High School and one of Heinrich’s students, scaled the ladder with practiced ease until he neared the top, where he hooked his legs around the rungs and leaned backward to demonstrate his ability to balance safely while leaving his hands free, an important skill as he plans to become a firefighter after studying at San Joaquin Delta College’s Firefighter Academy.
“I like the idea of being able to save someone’s life if I need to. I plan on going to Delta because they have an amazing fire program and to learn as much as I can from firefighters,” Sams said.
Heinrich, who has taught Fire Science at Lincoln Technical Academy for over 20 years, then explained that he was offering 10 points of extra credit to each student who successfully climbed the 6-foot wall wearing full gear, including the breathing apparatus. Killian Deyarmon, 17, vaulted over the wall with no trouble, earning applause from his peers. A junior at Lodi High, Deyarmon plans to study either graphic design, video game development or firefighting at a fouryear university before pursuing a career as a firefighter.
Mick Isola, a senior at Lodi High, then demonstrated the dummy drag while wearing the same gear as his fellow fire science students. Wrapping his arms around its chest, the 18year-old Eagle Scout dragged the 165-pound dummy backwards for 40 feet, simulating dragging an unconscious or injured person to safety. Isola plans to volunteer with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection over the summer, as he hopes to become a wildland firefighter after studying wildlife biology at Montana State University.
“Back during the Sobranos Fire, my family was evacuated from that, so that’s what inspired me to become a firefighter,” Isola said.
Back inside, Officer Charlie Katzakian of the California Highway Patrol answered questions from curious students regarding CHP’s academy and requirements for admission. Katzakian and his colleagues attend as many career fairs as possible, usually at Delta College or one of Lodi’s high schools. He was pleased to see the hundreds of students that attended, reporting that many of them expressed interest in careers with CHP.
“It’s been a really good turnout, quite a few people filled out papers showing interest in our Explorers program. It really helps mold them into good candidates, keep them out of trouble and set them on track to careers in law enforcement,” Katzakian said.