RESCUE Youth Graduation Ceremony Cheers Graduates & Their Firefighter-Mentors

The kids must...be willing to commit a minimum of two hours a week to this program...[They] sign a contract to stay with the program for one year...[and] are monitored through a weekly report that is submitted to L.A. County DA to track their progress.

While at the station, the kids bring their books and complete any homework assignments. If help is needed on the homework, the Firefighters are right there to act as a tutor. Kids become part of the station. They are accountable for station responsibilities, and once they demonstrate responsibility, they earn the privilege of riding along on responses.

While at the station the kids learn CPR, tool familiarization, fire prevention, first aid, they assist on runs with equipment, and, one of the most important skills they learn are life qualities; integrity and team work. This program teaches kids life skills that they will use forever, no matter what profession they choose. Some of the kids, even after the program, still want to come by the station until they’re old enough to apply for our Search and Rescue Program (which starts at age 16).

We also go on field trips sponsored by the L.A. County D.A.'s Office. We've attended hockey games, tree plantings, Dodger games, gone fresh water fishing, deep sea fishing, toured the Queen Mary and the Aquarium of the Pacific, and fed the homeless, just to name a few events.

This program has not only changed the life of each child mentored, but it has also changed the life of the Firefighters involved in this wonderful program.

Firefighters have always held a unique place in the community. They are admired for their courage and stamina -- indeed, they do a job that few of us could hope to aspire to . Firefighters are highly visible, and the public’s perception is that their work is practically synonymous with excitement and challenge.

But there is more to the firefighter's existence than courageous rescues and headlines. The communal life of the fire station is made up of discipline, teamwork, responsibility, and a respect for traditional values.

The District Attorney's Office is the ideal agency to refer youngsters at risk to a gang intervention program, and insure their continued participation. Firefighters are the ideal catalyst to provide such a program with the one-on-one, personal and ongoing contact these young people need to grow intellectually, emotionally, and ethically.

Firefighters and fire department paramedics are often called upon to rescue people who have suffered calamities. In much the same way, the RESCUE program hopes to save many of our young people from the bleak future that gangs and drugs offer them.