Sam Owen Fire honors department's explorers

Sam Owen Fire District Co-Chiefs Stu Eigler and Tim Scofield presented Explorers Brent DeMers and Grant Bansemer with Certificates of Achievement in September 2018. The awards are “in appreciation of performance and dedication for actively participating in ongoing education, training activities and excellence in on scene professionalism.”

The Explorer Program allows people under age 18 interested in careers in firefighting and life safety to train and respond with participating fire departments with some limitations. They are not allowed to drive engines or go into burning buildings, but are fully part of the team and act as first responders. The basic training for entry-level firefighters was adapted to provide more individualized training and supervision for the explorers as they learn skills, apparatus operation, traffic control and other tasks. Safety is the number one priority and this process ensures that the explorers have the appropriate knowledge and skills when assigned duties during an incident.

Brent DeMers was the first to start firefighter training in the Sam Owen Explorer Program. He has volunteered as a first responder for 2 years. A sophomore at Forrest Bird Charter School, he plans to study forestry and wildland firefighting through Job Corps when he is eligible at age 17 1/2. His goal is a career in fish and wildlife. Meanwhile, his participation and education in emergency services earns him credits toward his high school diploma.

A brush fire accident resulted in extensive 3rd degree burns when Bent was 8 years old. Treatment required skin grafts and many weeks in the Harborview burn unit in Seattle. Facing and overcoming his fear of fire was an intentional and step-by-step process, which took many years. Training to be a firefighter has been an important part of that recovery. While it was a difficult thing to do, Brent finds that having had a direct experience with fire and trauma motivates him to help others

Brent says that “Sam Owen Fire allows me to do anything, but gives me the support to be safe.” During his first training Brent acted as a hidden training dummy. He donned a self-contained breathing apparatus and played the part of a fallen firefighter. He was hidden in rooms in a training structure for the firefighters had to find and rescue. His acting was good enough to fool one of the firefighters, who didn’t expect to see him and reacted as if he’d seen a ghost.

Brent’s first call was as a road guard during a trailer fire in Trestle Creek. His duties were traffic and crowd control under the supervision of the lncident Commander. While numerous safety precautions, such as flood lights illuminating the traffic controller, warning signs, flagging, flares and wearing fluorescent vests, were taken, Brent recalls that many vehicles ignored all of them and drove right on through.

Altogether, Brent has responded to 4 fires and 3 car accidents since entering the Explorer Program 2 years ago. The incidents include a brush fire at Johnson Creek where he worked the fire line with firefighter, Austin Theander. Last summer he was the first on scene at a small wildfire near his home on the Sam Owen peninsula. He was walking on the property when he heard a crackling sound and then smelled smoke. Racing back to the house and telling his mother to call 911, Brent grabbed a shovel, Brent returned to fight the fire.

Remaining calm and responding quickly in emergency situations comes automatically to Brent after two years of training and experience with SOFD. Last summer he was a passenger in a vehicle that was rear-ended at a high rate of speed while stopped to make a left hand turn off highway 95. Within seconds Brent oriented himself and checked to see that others in the car were uninjured. Then he saw the driver of the other car crawling out the car door and falling on the ground. Finding his door jammed, he opened a window and crawled out. Despite being one of the victims in the accident, Brent was the first to reach the woman and assist her.

Grant Bansemer, 16, is also a sophomore at Forrest Bird Charter School. He has dual enrollment and is working on both a high school diploma and an AS degree in business from North Idaho College. He plans to complete a bachelor’s degree in business at University of Idaho and continue his firefighter and emergency services training. Should he decide on a career in the life safety field, he thinks business management and decision making skills will serve him well.

Grant began attending training and shadowing firefighters with the Aboite Volunteer Fire Department in Fort Wayne, Ind., when he was 10. His interest in all aspects of life safety began when he was about 6 years old and remained constant. He collects firefighting equipment and his extensive collection of fire alarms can be viewed on YouTube: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UC3GTYMoVZvr8ghPLI pAsq4w/videos

When his family relocated to Idaho, Grant entered Sam Owen Fire District’s Explorer Program last May. He carries a radio and uses his personally owned vehicle (POV) to respond. His car has emergency response lights and he carries both his firefighter turnouts and wildland gear with him at all times.

Grant’s first call with SOFD was a small brush fire along the RR tracks. Next he responded to the second of two brush fires on the Sam Owen Peninsula this summer. The fire was extinguished when Grant arrived, but he helped with clean-up to ensure the fire was completely out. Other calls include a rescue ALS trauma at Green Bay when someone fell off a cliff and a motor vehicle accident near Clark Fork.

Grant has a way in being in the right place at the right time for firefighting. In September Grant and his father, Keith Bansemer were driving on highway 200 and saw the smoke from a one acre wildland fire near Northside School. Because Grant carries all his firefighting gear with him, he was able to attack the fire immediately after calling 911. “Engaging it was comfortable for me. My heart rate didn’t even go up. It felt normal to me and of training through SOFD, I knew exactly what to do, who to call and I did it.”

Last July Grant and his mother, Jean, were installing smoke alarms for the Red Cross with the Spokane Valley Fire Department. They were riding with a member of the SVFD when they saw a big cloud of smoke. Grant called 911 and they responded to the scene. It was a large structure fire. Grant and his mother donned safety vests and helped with traffic control for several hours. For more on this story see: “Right Place, Right Time” story in “American Red Cross Northwest Region” by Betsy Robertson July 18, 2018 https://redcrossnw.org/2018/07/18/right-place-right-time/

Public service in firefighting and emergency services runs in both families. Living on a farm 50 miles between Colfax and Ritzville, Wash., with 8 children gave Cari DeMers plenty of opportunity to practice first aid and deal with emergencies. It was a natural extension of those experiences when Cari decided to volunteer and train as a firefighter and a first responder for SOFD and CFVA until retiring to care for her family.

Brent’s step-father, Stephen “Doc” Higgins, served in the US Navy as a corpsman for 22 years until his retirement from the military. He volunteered as an emergency medical technician (EMT) for the Clark Fork Valley Ambulance for 20 years until retiring in 2017. He continues to serve as medical officer for the Sam Owen Fire District.

Jean Bansemer writes: “I’m a teacher and a believer that when a child or teen shows interest in an area, that we, as parents, can help them explore possible career paths and passions in as many layers as possible. I volunteered to install smoke alarms because this is Grant’s passion and Grant is my passion. Grant just amazes us with how deep his knowledge is and how sustained his interest has been. We are really proud of him! I am absolutely overjoyed to be helping people as a teacher throughout our area and as Red Cross Disaster Response team volunteer.”

Keith Bansemer and his family relocated to Bonner County from Indiana. With his wife, Jean, the process of relocating required planning and patience since it was staged over a year and a half to accommodate the child schooling of their three children. But it was worth it and “I don’t know why we didn’t move here sooner,” Keith said.

Keith became involved in firefighting when Grant wanted to attend firefighter training at age 10. Naturally, Keith accompanied him. He volunteers with SOFD and has been “learning a ton.”

He enjoys the hands-on training with equipment and wildland firefighting training. Also, community service is important to him. Keith says of his son: “He’s disciplined and knows what he wants to do.”