HUNTINGTON BEACH : Part-Timers Train to Help When Called

Although Lee Kulick was not involved in the accident, a car wreck on the San Diego Freeway four months ago rearranged his life.

Inspired by firefighters who helped save a crash victim, the 28-year-old Emerald Bay resident eventually quit his sales job and sought work at his local Fire Department.

“It was a turning point for me,” Kulick said of the traffic accident. “Over a period of time, I just realized that I wanted to help people, do something rewarding and make a difference.”

Last week, Kulick was one of 35 people to graduate from the Orange County Fire Department’s training program for part-time firefighters. The 12-week course taught them everything from handling a hose to dealing with hazardous materials.

Now that the drills and mock disasters are over, Kulick and his classmates, who include painters, business people, construction workers and graphic designers, wait for the call that will send them to the real thing.

Art Nevarez, an assistant training officer for the county Fire Department’s program, said the school’s graduates are placed on call in case of major emergencies or staff shortages. They are paid about $7 an hour when summoned for duty.

“They’re not compensated very much,” Nevarez said. “They just want to give back to the community. They punch out at all hours, so it takes quite a lot of commitment from these people.”

To join the program, participants must get fire stations to recommend them. Halfway though the course, they are allowed to help at emergencies, but they cannot enter burning buildings or other hazardous situations.

Upon graduation, they can work at any of 23 county fire stations, 10 of which are staffed solely by these trainees, who are paid per call. Nevarez estimated that 70% of the trainees begin with no experience fighting fires. By the end of the program, he said, they become competent public safety officers who sometimes move on to a full-time firefighting career.

During a recent weekend of drills at a training center in Huntington Beach, Kulick’s class of 33 men and two women handled spills of radioactive waste and fires involving toxic materials or pressurized fuel tanks.

In one exercise, two firefighters in bright yellow coats and helmets directed an arc of water toward a blazing propane tank, careful not to knock over the tank in case it ruptured and exploded.

Michelle Herrera, a 22-year-old trainee from Tustin, said she signed up to prepare for a career as a paramedic-firefighter. She has already put herself through a firefighting academy at her own expense.

“I like the whole profession,” Herrera said. “It’s different every day, and its rewarding and challenging.”

At 52 years old, painting contractor Doug Miller is the oldest class member. He said the training has been “great, especially when I’m running all these young kids into the ground.”

Miller, a former professional football player from Villa Park, has wanted to join a fire department since he was 18.

“It’s kind of like a lifetime dream, and I realized that it wasn’t too late to join,” he said.

For more information about the training program, call (714) 744-0545.