“I unzipped my gown as I was running,” recalled Patterson, who held his diploma in a single hand and his cap within the different as he bolted to the fire station a few blocks away on June 24, simply after 7:30 p.m.
His Port Jefferson High School classmate and fellow firefighter, Kasumi Layne-Stasik, was operating, too — clutching a congratulatory bouquet of blue flowers. She eliminated her earrings and necklace whereas she ran.
“I didn’t think twice about it,” stated Layne-Stasik, 18.
Once they received to the firehouse, the scholars shortly placed on their protecting gear, and in a matter of minutes they have been on a firetruck, headed to the scene of a dwelling about half a mile away. A fire had erupted within the storage.
“It was somewhat extraordinary circumstances,” stated Patterson, explaining that the proximity of the graduation ceremony on the high school to the fire station, and likewise, the fire station’s nearness to the blaze, made it a seamless effort. “Speed is very important. We like to get there fast.”
“It’s a bustle, but things get done, and it’s a really cool experience,” echoed Layne-Stasik.
Within an hour, the flames have been extinguished, and nobody was injured. The reason for the fire is beneath investigation by the village fire marshal, the Port Jefferson Fire Department stated.
Patterson has been a volunteer with the fire division since he was 14. He participated in a junior coaching program, and in February 2021, he formally turned a firefighter. He has responded to a number of fires and different emergency conditions since.
“When you think of firefighters, you don’t typically think of 17- or 18-year-olds,” stated Patterson, including that he and different trainees went by way of rigorous coaching — together with lectures and hands-on workouts — earlier than formally changing into members of the division. “I definitely like the aspect of helping people. It’s nice to actually make a positive impact.”
Like Patterson, Layne-Stasik additionally signed up for the division’s junior program — for which she is now an adviser — at age 14. She was the one woman of the eight college students in her grade to be a part of.
“I never feel singled out or anything like that,” she stated. “I just love being part of it.”
Christian Neubert, the Port Jefferson assistant fire chief, was on responsibility on graduation day. Had the scholars not acted as shortly as they did, he stated, the result of the fire won’t have been as favorable.
“The theory is that fire will double in size every thirty seconds,” stated Neubert, who can also be a center school instructor and taught 5 of the six seniors once they have been youthful. “Seeing them come up through the whole fire service has been really rewarding.”
The Port Jefferson Fire Department has about 60 energetic members, and is a volunteer-only group.
“Nobody gets paid, and of these kids, many of them have jobs,” Neubert stated. They have been additionally full-time college students. “They’re really dedicated. They respond to everything that they can.”
Active members of the fire division obtain normal alarms on their telephones and pagers, and as soon as a certified crew arrives on the fire station, the response effort begins.
“It’s almost like a first-come, first-serve,” Neubert defined. “If they didn’t respond because they were at graduation, everybody would have understood.”
Even although it was a momentous day for the six college students, “they are highly motivated,” Neubert stated, including that he was not shocked that all of them swiftly sprang to motion. “In our current day and age, there is a perception that kids aren’t like they used to be with having drive and motivation. This goes against that.”
“We’re talking about the nicest kids that you can possibly ask for,” Neubert continued. “I couldn’t say enough about them. They’ve brought so much life to the firehouse.”
School directors shared the identical sentiment.
“This is a milestone event in their lives, and even that didn’t stop them from serving their community, as they’ve done countless times throughout their lives,” stated Robert Neidig, the assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction within the Port Jefferson School District. “We couldn’t be prouder.”
The college students are all heading to school subsequent 12 months, and a few are staying native. Still, they are saying they may all stay energetic members of the fire division, and each time they arrive dwelling to Port Jefferson for breaks, they plan to proceed responding to fire calls and different emergency conditions.
Although their graduation festivities have been minimize quick, the scholars stated they wouldn’t have had it some other approach. For Layne-Stasik, reporting for responsibility mid-celebration to assist her group made graduating much more gratifying.
“The transition from us throwing all our caps up and then immediately running to help, that was the most memorable moment for me,” Layne-Stasik stated.
“It was a very good day,” he stated.
