For these 10 high school students, the day doesn’t start at Marathon High School on Sombrero Beach Road; it starts at Marathon Fire Rescue Station No. 14 in the classroom whose quietest “student” is the CPR dummy on a gurney rolled in the corner.
“The most important thing they learn here is teamwork,” said firefighter paramedic Chris Cameron, lead cadet coordinator. “If someone is late, everyone does push-ups. They learn how to function together as first responders.”
The five seniors are arranged at desks in the front row, with juniors in the back. On this particular morning, the whiteboard glows with information. On other days they don full gear for skill drills. Come May, the five seniors will be the fifth class of students to graduate from the two-year Marathon Fire Rescue Cadet program.
“We are so encouraged by the level of interest and skill in the young men and women we have trained,” said Marathon Fire Chief John Johnson. “Our goal was to recruit and retain local professionals to serve our community and it is working.”
Forty-eight students have passed through the program and one former student is a full-time medic with Marathon Fire Rescue. In 2023-24, the seniors are Allison Garcia, Mylan Henriquez, Ethan Sauders, Michael Merryman and Austin Peterson. Three say they intend to become full-time paramedics, and two are on a career path to become pilots. The juniors are Elena Eubank, Caylie Globe, Brayan Suarez, Gabriel Leal and Johnny Ferreiro.
The effort to recruit and train local firefighter and medic talent started more than a decade ago. The program is sponsored by the Monroe County School District, which allocates funds to Marathon Fire Rescue. The program is taught by Marathon Fire Rescue professionals: firefighter paramedic Chris Cameron (and lead cadet coordinator), driver engineer Thomas Wolhers, firefighter paramedic Isa Sanchez, firefighter paramedic Carlos Ornales and Lt. Cesar Moreton. Fire Rescue recruits vigorously at career fairs and through community outreach, but the program’s popularity is evidenced by student awareness and word-of-mouth recommendations.
In addition to the physical training and classroom experience, students volunteer anywhere between 40 to 70 hours a year at community functions in Marathon and at local schools.
Marathon Fire Rescue senior cadets will graduate on Friday, May 17 at 1 p.m. during the Class 23-24 “Burn” at the Joe London Training Facility on Grassy Key.
